Pro golfer Gary Woodland announces he’s having surgery to remove brain lesion

Gary Woodland, a golfer on the PGA Tour, will undergo surgery to remove a lesion on his brain, he announced in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I wanted to share a recent health development with you,” Woodland, 39, wrote Aug. 30.

“On Sept. 18th, I’ll be having surgery to remove a lesion found on my brain. I was diagnosed a few months ago and have been trying to treat symptoms with medication. After consulting with multiple specialists and discussing with my family, we’ve made the decision that surgery to remove the lesion is the best course of action.

“I’m in good spirits with my family and team by my side and so thankful for the love and support of everyone.”

Brain lesions are areas of damaged brain tissue, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The clinic says a wide range of things can cause lesions, including strokes, brain tumors, congenital disorders, degenerative brain diseases, immune and inflammatory conditions, infections, genetic conditions, seizures and epilepsy, as well as concussions and other traumatic brain injuries, medical procedures including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, radiation exposure, and poisoning from metal or other toxins.

“Lesions can disrupt the way your brain works, causing a wide range of symptoms, such as weakness, disruption of one or more senses and confusion,” the clinic added.

The clinic also says some lesions heal on their own or are treatable, while others “are permanent or happen for reasons that can’t be treated or cured.”

Woodland is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, most notably the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. After his victory, Woodland appeared on TODAY, surprising Amy Bockerstette, a 20-year-old woman with Down syndrome he had befriended earlier that year ahead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Phoenix. The relationship then went viral.

“We won that together, huh?” he told Bockerstette when he appeared with his U.S. Open trophy.

“The world needs a lot more of Amy in it,” Woodland said on TODAY. “Her attitude, her energy. It was contagious. I thought a lot about you on Sunday, but I think a lot about you every day, so thank you.”