Gary Woodland’s 65 put him in contention at the Shriners Children’s Open

LAS VEGAS – Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland completed 54 holes of the wind-delayed Shriners Children’s Open knowing he will have his best chance to win since brain surgery more than a year ago. Best of all, Saturday was coming to an end.

Woodland had three birdies on his final six holes and extended his bogey-free streak to 28 holes by posting a 6-under 65 that gave him a share of the clubhouse lead over Las Vegas-based Kurt Kitayama, who also scored a 65.

They were one shot behind JT Poston and Doug Ghim when play was suspended due to darkness. Thirty of the 66 players who made it the previous Saturday failed to finish.

Poston had an eagle in the final portion of the second round for a 65, and his only subpar hole in the third round was an eagle on the par-5 ninth. That put him at 15 under par through 13 holes. Also at 15 under was Ghim, who had four straight birdies and faced a 5-foot par putt on the 17th hole when it was too dark to continue.

Woodland underwent surgery in September 2023 to remove a lesion in his brain that was located in a tract that was causing fear and anxiety. It was a long road as he progressed health-wise, familiarized himself with the proper medications and tried to get his game in order.

He also returned to Randy Smith, the PGA Hall of Fame swing coach in Dallas. Now Woodland feels the pieces coming back together.

“I feel a lot better,” Woodland said. “This is a big help. But I have seen some signs. I’ve been back together with Randy Smith for a few months now. I’m starting to drive it better, play irons and control the golf ball in a way I haven’t in a long time, which is nice. Then the putts start and start to produce some good results.

“I’m excited and happy to be here – and really happy to be finished tonight so I can get some sleep tomorrow.”

The third round was scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. local time, with Woodland expected to begin around 11 a.m. It’s better than getting up before dawn, which he’s had to do twice this week.

The next step is to determine where it stands.

Harris English and Alejandro Tosti of Argentina were also at 14 under with four holes to play, including the reachable par 4 and the easiest of the three par 5s. Six other players were under 13 and still had holes to play.

Winds have calmed significantly since Friday, when gusts reached speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour, causing a four-hour delay that caused stop-and-start and the last two days to be suspended due to darkness. A TPC-Summerlin course that was all about perseverance is now once again a test of who can make the most birdies.

“The conditions will be pretty simple. I think you saw that in some of the results,” Poston said. “Guys are making birdies. I think it’s just a matter of staying aggressive but also staying patient if the putts don’t fall too early because there are still a lot of holes left.”

The second round didn’t end until midday Saturday and the average was 3-under 139. Among those who didn’t make the cut was Tom Kim, the two-time defending champion, who was trying to become the first player since Steve Stricker in the John Deere Classic (2009- 11) won the same PGA Tour event three years in a row.

Also missed were the three FedEx Cup fall winners – Patton Kizzire, Kevin Yu and Matt McCarty.