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How Gary Woodland is making a difference away from the course
Gary Woodland has always been a well-liked figure on the PGA Tour, and these days, he’s probably just happy to be back playing regularly.
The American underwent brain surgery in September 2023 to remove a lesion. But just two years later, he’s back swinging as well as ever.
Woodland has always been well-respected among his peers, but his comeback story has only added to that. The next challenge for him will be getting back into the winner’s circle.
That won’t be easy, but there is one unique edge that sets him apart from every other player on Tour right now.
PGA Tour fans react to what Woodland is currently doing
So far this season, the four-time PGA Tour winner has missed two cuts in four starts, with his best finish being a tie for 64th.
The results haven’t been great for the 41-year-old so far. However, there are positives to take away from his early form.
In fact, what Woodland is doing right now is something you don’t see very often at this level of golf.
Gary Woodland’s Surprising Impact on the 2026 PGA Tour Season
While Gary Woodland’s results haven’t quite clicked into gear this season, he is still doing something that stands out.
The 41-year-old is leading the PGA Tour in driving distance, holding a one-yard edge over Michael Brennan.
Woodland is currently averaging 330.2 yards off the tee, an increase of 17 yards per drive compared to his previous four-year average and more than a 20-yard jump from earlier seasons.
This kind of gain isn’t something you see every day, especially for someone well past the age of 40.
That extra distance has come from improvements in both ball speed and clubhead speed. It’s an impressive evolution, considering where he was just a few years ago.
Here’s a look at some notable names who are trailing him in driving distance so far this season:
Gary Woodland’s ball-speed and clubhead speed stats
To truly understand the magnitude of what Woodland has been doing off the tee in 2026, you need to look at some of the players he is ahead of in the stats. Names like Aldrich Potgieter, Nicolai Hojgaard, Michael Brennan, and Rasmus Hojgaard are just some of them right behind him.
For context, that is a 4 mph increase from Woodland from the 2025 and 2024 PGA Tour seasons, and a whopping 8 mph more ball speed on average than what he was producing four years ago!
Also, the oldest player on that list aside from Woodland is 24!
Now, let’s take a look at the clubhead speed numbers Woodland has been producing on the PGA Tour in 2026:
The jump in clubhead speed for Gary is quite something. He was clocking around 125 mph back in both 2024 and 2025. This season, though? He’s up to an average of 127 mph, a mark reached only by one other golfer on the tour, Michael Brennan, in the past five seasons.
And when you consider where he started – the age of turning thirty – he was sitting at about a 121 mph average. The progress isn’t just impressive; it speaks to how much his work has paid off over time.
The fact that Woodland has found a way to lead the ball speed stats on the PGA Tour in 2026 at the age of 41 is truly remarkable.
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