Never Give Up
When life deals a person a tough hand to play, he can either fold, or decide to play that hand, and then prepare for the next hand. That’s a quick picture of the life of pro golfer, Gary Woodland.
Woodland had a great golf career unfolding as a four-time PGA Tournament winner. Then he developed a brain lesion and in 2023 had brain surgery. Everybody told him that he couldn’t come back to golf following brain surgery. They thought he would just fold and quit. But that’s not Gary Woodland.
He came back on the tour, but was struggling with PTSD. It was sad to see him react in ways he had never reacted before, but PTSD was taking its hold on him. He decided to stop trying to hide it and to get help.
Gary Woodland didn’t quit. He didn’t understand the word quit. He related that the doctors told him, “In an ideal world, he wouldn’t be competing on the PGA tour.” Woodland’s response to that was, “In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have to have brain surgery or deal with PTSD. Golf is my dream and this is what I am going to do, no matter how hard it is. I am going to play.”
His coach, Randy Smith, and he had a disagreement a few years earlier and they decided to get a golf divorce. They did. Woodland has a wonderful wife, Gabby. She is supportive and stands by her man. If there is somebody who ought to get a huge trophy, it is she. She convinced Gary to humble himself and to ask Smith to reunite. He did. They resolved their golf divorce and again became a team.
He played in the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He got off to a great start on Thursday morning and was leading the tournament. He said it was like taking a thousand pounds off his shoulders.
He found huge support from his fellow golfers, his fans, his family, and all the people who made up his team. Randy Smith made some adjustments to his swing. Woodland is 41 years old. You are not supposed to be able to drive the ball nearly as far as those young golfers. He led the whole tournament in driving distance! That’s unheard of. I love to see a man with a lot of years on him show those guys 20 years younger how to do it!
One of the best golf moments I have seen on tv was March 29, 2026, when he was coming up the 18th fairway on the last hole. He was leading by a couple of strokes. The fans started cheering for him. The most noticeable thing was the two players playing with him who still had a chance to win. Those two golfers on the 18th fairway stopped walking and started encouraging the crowd to continue cheering. It was a remarkable act of support for somebody who really needed it. Woodland won!
I don’t know what the future holds, but that one golf tournament was enough to inspire a lot of people to never quit, get help, work hard, and encourage people competing with you.
The Bible teaches us to never give up. “Do not give up for your work will be rewarded.” (II Chronicles 15:7) “You will not be tempted beyond what you can bear.” (I Corinthians 10:13) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) “At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9) Read Isaiah 40:31; II Corinthians 4:16-18); and Revelation 3:21.
What are you facing? How are you going to handle it?
