Gary Woodland Grabs Shared Second at Fog-Delayed U.S. Open
Key keywords: Gary Woodland, 2024 U.S. Open, fog-delayed major, Pinehurst No. 2, PGA Tour comeback, shared second place, major championship, golf leaderboard
The 2024 U.S. Open, held at the iconic Pinehurst No. 2 course in North Carolina, was marked by unprecedented fog disruptions that pushed back tee times, forced multiple in-round suspensions, and compressed the weekend schedule for all competing players. Against this chaotic backdrop, 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland delivered one of the most stunning performances of the tournament, locking in a shared second-place finish that capped off his remarkable comeback from 2023 brain surgery.
Woodland, who missed 10 months of competitive golf after undergoing a craniotomy to remove a non-cancerous brain lesion last year, entered the week as a relative longshot, with oddsmakers placing him outside the top 50 pre-tournament favorites. He defied all expectations from the opening round, carding a 1-under 69 in a first round that was split across two days due to heavy coastal fog that rolled in mid-morning on Thursday. He followed that up with a 2-under 68 on Friday, sitting tied for 7th place when the cut line was finally announced late Saturday morning, 12 hours later than initially scheduled due to repeated fog delays.
The third round saw even more disruption, with play paused twice for a total of 4 hours as dense fog reduced visibility to less than 100 yards on several holes. Woodland stayed focused through the stops, firing a 3-under 67 that jumped him 5 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for second heading into the final round. On Sunday, he stayed steady through a final day that also saw a 90-minute fog delay to open play, carding an even-par 70 to finish at 6-under 274 for the tournament, tied with Xander Schauffele and 2 strokes behind winner Bryson DeChambeau.
In his post-tournament press conference, Woodland teared up as he discussed the finish, noting that he still deals with occasional fatigue and mild headaches after long days on the course, and that he had not expected to contend for a top-10 finish just 14 months after his surgery. He credited his medical team, caddie, and family for supporting him through his recovery, and added that the shared second place means as much to him as his 2019 championship win. PGA Tour officials have already noted that Woodland’s run will be featured as one of the core legacy moments of the 2024 U.S. Open, alongside the record-setting performance from champion DeChambeau.
Featured Comments
As a long-time Gary Woodland fan, I cried when he walked up the 18th fairway on Sunday. That brain surgery less than 2 years ago makes this top-3 finish at the U.S. Open so much more inspirational than any win could be. The fog delays made the week so tough for all players, but his calm under pressure is unmatched.
This run by Woodland is one of the greatest comeback stories in recent PGA Tour history. Let’s not forget how brutal Pinehurst No. 2 plays, plus the constant fog stops that messed up every player’s rhythm. He didn’t just luck into this second place – he hit fairways, sunk clutch putts, and outplayed almost every top 10 player in the world this week.
I covered Gary’s 2019 U.S. Open win at Pebble Beach, and this finish hits even harder. He talked to me on Saturday after his third round, saying he still gets headaches sometimes after long days on the course, but he pushes through for his kids. This shared second place is going to go down as one of the most memorable moments in U.S. Open history, even if he didn’t take the trophy home.
It’s wild how the fog delays seemed to work in Gary’s favor? He’s always been a player that thrives on slow, deliberate pacing, so all the stops probably let him reset more than the younger guys who like to play fast. Either way, this is such a well-deserved result for someone who fought so hard to get back to the course.