Gary Woodland, of the United States, lines up his putt on the 11th hole during the second round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday, April 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
After starting his round with three bogeys in his first seven holes, former University of Kansas golf standout Gary Woodland recovered with three birdies in his final 11 holes to finish at even par (70) after one round at the PGA Championship on Thursday.
At the time he finished, Woodland was tied for 24th place at the star-studded major field.
Playing the back nine first, Woodland carded birdies at the par-4 17th hole, the par-4 4th hole and the par-5 5th hole. His birdie at No. 4 featured him draining a 23-foot putt. He followed that up by knocking it on the green in two shots at the fifth hole, and he cleaned up the birdie in two putts from there.
Woodland played with Englishman Lee Westwood and Italian Francesco Molinari on Thursday and that trio will be back out there for Round 2 on Friday.
Former Jayhawk Ryan Vermeer, a PGA professional in Nebraska, shot a 5-over 75 on Thursday, with six bogeys and one birdie. He played with American golfer Brian Harman and South African Oliver Bekker.
Woodland, who became the first Jayhawk to win a major in 2019, when he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, finished tied for sixth at the PGA Championship one year earlier in 2018, marking his best performance at the event.
A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.
