USA TODAY International Edition
US Open champ Woodland driven ‘to get better’
DETROIT – Winning the U.S. Open was pretty sweet, but coming home to his young son’s birthday as a champion was pretty special.
After a three-stroke victory at Pebble Beach, Gary Woodland returned to his Delray Beach, Florida, home to celebrate Jaxson Lynn Woodland’s second birthday. “My son ran into my arms, and that makes me emotional now thinking about it,” Woodland said. “That was every bit as good as getting that trophy.”
Nearly everything is a first this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and the PGA Tour tournament also marks an important first for Woodland. It’s his first appearance since capturing his first major. Woodland, 35, tees off in Thursday’s first round at 12:55 p.m. ET with Keith Mitchell and Brandt Snedeker.
Dustin Johnson is one of Woodland’s good friends, and the world’s No. 2ranked golfer expressed great pride in him. “Gary’s been a good player for a long time,” said Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open winner. “It was just a matter of time before he was going to get one.”
Since winning the U.S. Open, Woodland has gotten advice from many golfers, including Bubba Watson, who won the 2012 and 2014 Masters.
His biggest tip is to learn to say “no.” In the months after his first major title, the attention around Watson increased exponentially. He hopes Woodland handles the spotlight without stress.
“The word ‘no’ is going to be big because of sponsors, because of more fans, more people pulling at him, more tournaments pulling at him,” Watson said. “You’ve just got to pace yourself.”
Woodland has experienced a major increase in requests. Fans want autographs and photos, and he played only nine holes instead of an intended 18 in his practice round the day before because of the time he took to meet fans.
Time management is the most important thing. “You try to be a nice guy,” Woodland said, “but sometimes you’ve got to say ‘no,’ and that’s easier said than done for me sometimes.”
The 12th-ranked player in the world said he has plenty of work to do and is far from satisfied with his career. He craves more success, including a spot on the U.S. Presidents Cup team.
“There’s still a lot at stake,” Woodland said. “Being a major champion is awesome, but I’m still trying to win more, still trying to get better.”