Gary Woodland Selected for Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame Induction

LAWRENCE, Kan. – University of Kansas graduate and 2019 U.S. Open Champion Gary Woodland has been chosen for induction into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame, it was announced today. The induction ceremony is set to take place on Friday, Sept. 19, at The Jayhawk Club in Lawrence.

The Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame was established to formally recognize outstanding individual and team achievements and to preserve the heritage and tradition of KU's intercollegiate athletic program. Those team and individual achievements worthy of admittance based on the established criteria shall be formally recognized with appropriate displays within the Booth Family Hall of Athletics, a 19,335-square-foot museum adjacent to the east side of Allen Fieldhouse.

"Gary represents everything we want our student-athletes to be," Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. "He is an amazing person who has tremendous pride in being a Jayhawk. He excelled during his time in Lawrence, rewriting the record books throughout his career. He then embarked on a professional career that culminated with a U.S. Open championship that KU fans everywhere will remember forever. He is an inspiring story of courage and perseverance, recently overcoming incredible adversity with his personal health challenges.

"There is no easier Jayhawk to root for than Gary, and we are so proud he is taking his rightful place in the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame."

Woodland, a Topeka native, is one of the most decorated golfers in Kansas history, competing at KU from 2004-07 before embarking on his professional career. As a Jayhawk, Woodland was a two-time All-Big 12 selection, earning postseason honors in 2006 and 2007, while also earning an All-Big 12 Tournament selection in 2006. Woodland competed in a total of 50 events for KU, claiming individual wins at the 2005 Cleveland State Invitational, 2006 Kansas Invitational, 2007 All-American Golf Classic and 2007 Louisiana Classic. His four career wins ranks second in program history.

Woodland qualified for the NCAA Regional four times in his career, twice as a part of the team (2004, 2007) and once as an individual (2006). He left Kansas as the program leader with 26 career rounds in the 60s, a mark that still sits second in KU history. Woodland played in 145 rounds as a Jayhawk, shooting par or less 59 times on his way to a 73.33 career stroke average.

In 2007, Woodland turned pro and later joined the PGA Tour in 2009. One of the game's most reliable and steady players on the tour, Woodland is a four-time winner with 30 top-five finishes and 56 top-10s in 286 career starts. Woodland captured the 2019 U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach at 13-under par. He shot rounds of 68-65-69-69 to win his first major tournament by outlasting multi-time major winner Brooks Kopeka by three strokes. His other PGA wins are the 2011 Transitions Championship, the 2013 Reno-Tahoe Open and the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

"Playing golf at KU was the opportunity of a lifetime," Woodland said. "It laid the foundation for me to chase my dreams of being a professional athlete. Getting inducted into the University of Kansas Hall of Fame is beyond my wildest dreams and I couldn't be more grateful to be part of such incredible company. Rock Chalk!"

Woodland was the recipient of the 2025 PGA TOUR Courage Award, presented to a person who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity, such as personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness, to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the game of golf. In May 2023, there was a discovery on Woodland's brain of a lesion impacting the region that controls fear and anxiety. He underwent surgery in September 2023 and returned to competition at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2024. Woodland went on to secure three top-25 finishes in 26 starts that season, including a T9 at the Shriners Children's Open – his first top-10 since the diagnosis.

"Gary has been an incredible fan, supporter and friend to the Kansas golf team. He is always willing to give his time to the team, and he has been a donor for many years," KU head coach Jamie Bermel said. "Gary Woodland is the standard for Kansas golf. Not only is he a great golfer, but more importantly he is an incredible person, friend, husband and father."

In July 2025, Woodland was named a vice captain for the 45th Ryder Cup, which will be played September 23-28, 2025, at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.

The Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame will be the third to induct Woodland, who is already a member of the Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame and the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame.

Gary Woodland HOF Graphic

University of Kansas Athletics

Gary Woodland Selected for Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame Induction

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