Gary Woodland, Memorial Park Shine at 2026 Houston Open

1. If you haven’t watched it, Gary Woodland’s sit-down with Rex Hoggard detailing his ongoing battle with PTSD after brain surgery in 2023 is worthy of your time. On Sunday, the 2019 U.S. Open champion returned to the winner’s circle, firing a final round 3-under 67 to win the Houston Open by five shots.

“Today was a good day. But I'm going to keep fighting. I've got a big fight ahead of me and I'm going to keep going, but I'm proud of myself right now,” Woodland said after the round.

Woodland’s comeback story is equally impressive and inspiring. Winning on the PGA Tour is difficult enough; doing so while battling PTSD is impossible to comprehend. Credit to Gary for the hard work that went into getting his game back to this level, the resilience to compete in a stressful sport while dealing with a terrifying condition, and the willingness to speak openly about his struggles to the world with honesty and strength. He is a powerful example to those who may be struggling in silence.

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2. Memorial Park continues to shine as a tournament venue. Its defining strength is its bold green complexes, which get maximized when the golf course is firm. I’m hard-pressed to think of many better sets of greens on the PGA Tour schedule.

If, however, tournament organizers want a more thorough examination of golf, I’d like to see the banks of rough trimmed between greens and water hazards before future editions of the Houston Open or Chevron Championship, specifically on Nos. 15 and 16. The greens at Memorial Park already offer ample space for well-struck shots to hold. The best players in the world don’t need buffers saving errant shots from the water, as seen with Nicolai Hojgaard’s approach into 16 on Saturday evening.

No. 15 measured just 115 yards on Saturday yet still posed a strong challenge due to the hole location and the green contouring. There was just one double bogey for the day, though, in no small part because the rough stopped shots from bouncing down into the water. You could effectively only find the water on the fly, and pro golfers just won’t miss by that much without heavy wind. With a less forgiving setup, I think the 15th has the potential to be one of the best par 3s on the professional golf schedule.

Reducing the size and impact of the rough strips would better allow the best ball-strikers in the field to separate themselves from the pack and take an already great venue to another level.