Gary Woodland a winner again 30 months after brain surgery

HOUSTON (AP) — Gary Woodland won the Houston Open on Sunday, an emotional moment that seemed so improbable 30 months ago when he had brain surgery and even two weeks ago when he opened up about his frightening struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Woodland took a one-shot lead into the final round and stretched it to seven shots until coasting home to a trophy that felt as big as his U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach in 2019.

He closed with a 3-under 67 to win by five shots over Nicolai Hojgaard.

Woodland finished at 21-under 259 for his first victory since the U.S. Open, and the fifth of his career. This one came with a big bonus — it makes him eligible for the Masters in two weeks.

Hojgaard fell back with a double bogey on the par-3 seventh and never caught up. He shot 71 and easily stayed in the top 50 in the world ranking to secure his Masters invitation. Daniel Berger, Jake Knapp and Matt McCarty also were added to the Masters field through the world ranking.

PHOENIX (AP) — Hyo Joo Kim beat Nelly Korda for the second straight week, pulling away around the turn Sunday and closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Ford Championship.

Kim was poised to break the LPGA Tour’s scoring record for 72 holes until one mistake led to a double bogey on the eighth hole and allowed Korda to pull within one shot. But the American missed a pair of short putts, Kim made an 18-inch birdie and the lead was back to four shots.

Korda never got any closer until the tournament was out of reach, finishing eagle-birdie for a 67.

Kim, who also won the Ford Championship last year, now has back-to-back wins for the first time in her career, both against Korda. Last week in the Founders Cup, the 30-year-old South Korean held off a Sunday charge by Korda.

Kim finished at 28-under 260, three shots short of the LPGA's scoring record.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Alex Fitzpatrick overcame a six-shot deficit with a blazing run of birdies Sunday to overcome Eugenio Chacarra with a 3-under 69 to win the Indian Open, finally joining his older brother as European tour winners.

Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion and a nine-time European tour winner, won the Valspar Championship last week in Florida. It’s the first time brothers have won in consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour and European tour.

Fitzpatrick had a pair of early bogeys that dropped him six behind Chacarra through five holes of the final round at DLF Golf and Country Club. Ten holes and seven birdies later, Fitzpatrick led by one shot as the Spaniard faded badly on his way to a 75.

Fitzpatrick made double bogey on the 18th hole and still won by two shots at 9-under 275.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Stewart Cink closed with 6-under 65 for a four-shot victory Sunday in the Hoag Classic, his second title this year on the PGA Tour Champions.

Cink built a two-shot lead after 36 holes when he closed out the second round by holing out from the fairway for an albatross on the par-5 18th.

Freddie Jacobson caught him early with three straight birdies, only to make double bogey on the par-3 eighth hole to fall back. Cink poured it on along the back nine at Newport Beach Country Club with three birdies on his last five holes.

Zach Johnson (65) and Ernie Els (67) tied for second.

SAVANNAH, Georgia (AP) — Davis Lamb won his first Korn Ferry Tour title on Sunday, pulling away from John Pak and 18-year-old Blades Brown with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Club Car Championship.

Brown had a chance to become the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history, starting the final round tied with Pak. He was one shot behind Lamb until consecutive three-putt bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes. He closed with a 72 to finish alone in third.

Pak shot 71. He needed birdie on the par-5 18th for any chance and narrowly missed a 12-foot putt. Lamb hit his wedge into 6 feet and made the putt to finish on 19-under 269. Lamb, who played most of his college career at Notre Dame, moved to No. 3 on the Korn Ferry points list.

Cameron John closed with a 4-under 68 and won the season-ending The National Tournament with a 6-foot birdie putt in a playoff against Daniel Gale (64) for his third win this year on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Travis Smyth won the Order of Merit to earn a European tour card for next year. He was followed by John and James Marchesani, who get Challenge Tour cards. ... Martin Vorster closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory in DNi Tour Championship on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Saki Nagamine had a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory over Jiyai Shin in the AXA Ladies Golf on the Japan LPGA.

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Gary Woodland celebrates after sinking his final putt on the 18th green to win the Texas Children's Houston Open golf tournament Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Gary Woodland holds the championship trophy after winning the Texas Children's Houston Open golf tournament Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

PHOENIX (AP) — Hyo Joo Kim beat Nelly Korda for the second straight week, pulling away around the turn Sunday and closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Ford Championship.

Kim was poised to break the LPGA Tour's scoring record for 72 holes until one mistake led to a double bogey on the eighth hole and gave Korda hope.

Korda, who trailed by four at the start of the final round, suddenly was only one shot behind. But the American missed a short par putt on the ninth, and that was followed by a two-shot swing on the 10th — Kim hit her approach to 18 inches for birdie, and Korda failed to get up-and-down for par.

Korda never got any closer until the tournament was out of reach, finishing eagle-birdie for a 67.

Kim, who also won the Ford Championship last year, now has back-to-back wins for the first time in her career, both against Korda. Last week in the Founders Cup, the 30-year-old South Korean held off a Sunday charge by Korda.

“I wanted to ask Nelly how it feels to win back-to-back,” Kim said with a laugh, referring to Korda winning five straight starts during the 2024 season.

Kim finished at 28-under 260. With three early birdies — and a week in which she twice had posted rounds of 61 — it looked as though she could break the LPGA scoring record of 257 set by Sei Young Kim at the 2017 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.

Those hopes took a hit on the par-4 eighth hole, when Kim pulled her tee shot. She tried to punch a hybrid under tree branches, but it ran hot on the sunbaked fairway, through the crusty green and didn't stop rolling until it went down a slope and into the desert scrub.

That led to double bogey. Kim twice missed 5-foot birdie chances, and she also had a three-putt bogey on the 16th.

But the putting issues belonged to Korda, who missed a 2-foot par putt on the 15th — her second short miss of the round — that all but ended it.

“Where it went wrong? There's a couple shots here and there that I would like to get back, more like a couple putts throughout the week,” Korda said. “I'm going to miss a bunch of those putts throughout my entire career, and I just can’t get down on myself.”

Korda has won and twice been runner-up in three starts on the LPGA this year. It was the lowest she has been under par (26 under) in her LPGA career. She just ran into one of the hottest players in women's golf.

“I'm done playing with her,” Korda said, jokingly. This was the fifth straight time they were in the same group, and Korda has had a good view of remarkable play, particularly Kim's putting.

“Hyo Joo has been playing amazing golf,” Korda said. “She a phenomenal player, and person. She definitely motivates me on the golf course.”

Minami Katsu of Japan shot 65 to finish alone in third. Lydia Ko, who began the tournament with a 60, wound up in fourth, eight shots behind.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Nelly Korda waves to the crowd after making an eagle on the second hole during the final round of the LPGA Ford Championship golf tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chandler, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Hyo Joo Kim, of South Korea, hits a fairway shot on the second hole during the final round of the LPGA Ford Championship golf tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chandler, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Hyo Joo Kim, of South Korea, hits her tee shot at the third hole during the final round of the LPGA Ford Championship golf tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chandler, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)