Woodland secures first PGA Tour win
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2011 Transitions Championship | Final Round | 21 Mar 2011
It may well have been the only par he recorded in his final nine holes of the PGA Tour’s Transitions Tournament in Palm Harbor in California but for Gary Woodland it is likely the sweetest and most important par he has ever recorded in his professional career to date.
Five birdies, three bogies and the par at the 18th added up to a back nine of 33 and the one shot victory over Webb Simpson who was unable to get up and down from behind the green at the last to retain his chance of winning his first PGA Tour title.
Not only does it earn Woodland his first ever PGA Tour victory but it will also guarantee him a start at Augusta National in just over two weeks time so it has been a rollercoaster well worth surviving for the 26 year old.
Woodland has only ever won one professional golf tournament previously that coming in an obscure pro-am event in Garden City in Kansas in 2008 but this victory will change his life of that there is no doubt.
“I had last week off and flew into Dallas to see Randy Smith (his coach) on Sunday morning, just didn’t feel like I was hitting it very well last week after taking a couple of days off,” said Woodland after his third round on Saturday. “We put a very conservative game plan together, and I had not seen the place and he was telling me about it. I’ve played conservative all week, a lot of 2-irons, laying back. I’m hitting the ball well right now; so that conservative game plan is working and that’s pretty much what we are doing.
“Randy and I haven’t changed anything I am just getting better at what I have been doing.”
Woodland first gained his PGA Tour card in 2009 but was struck down by a shoulder injury which required surgery and a nine month recovery break. “I had a torn labrum in the left shoulder and in ’09, I had surgery in August, nine months rehab.”
After his round today Woodland paid tribute to his short game. “My short game saved me today. I did not hit it very well.” That might well be the understatement of the year. 23 putts in today’s final round was what made the difference in his narrow victory, the most significant perhaps being the 10 footer he made at the last to remain in a share of the lead with Simpson who was playing in the group behind.
He also paid tribute to the help he has received from one of the game’s great putters Brad Faxon who has helped him with preparation in putts but also in speeding up his stroke.
Simpson has again gone close to the milestone of a first PGA Tour victory. Simpson is in his third PGA Tour season and has contended on several occasions. A brilliant amateur golfer when a member of the successful Walker Cup team, Simpson has also finished runner-up on two occasions on the Nationwide Tour.
Yet another 25 year old looking for his first win on the PGA Tour, Scott Stallings, was producing the tournament of his life through 15 holes of his final round. At that point he was within one of the two way tie for the lead between Simpson and Woodland but he found the lake from the tee took double bogey and finished third.
Stallings is in his rookie PGA Tour season having finished 11th at Tour School last season and although he did not win he completed a great week. Not only did he earn his biggest cheque in golf and record his best PGA Tour finish, he had also holed in one in round three and all this after receiving an invitation to the event.
The leading Australian was John Senden who again has shown his liking for the Copperhead layout. Senden finished 15th. Geoff Ogilvy was 28th, Steve Bowditch 37th, Marc Leishman 44th, Jason Day 51st, Stuart Appleby 57th, and Matt Jones 67th.
The PGA Tour now moves back to the east coast of Florida for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.
