After likely MC at U.S. Open, Gary Woodland reveals hip injury

MAMARONECK, N.Y. – It wasn’t the title defense Gary Woodland had hoped for, but then the last few months haven’t exactly gone according to plan for the 36-year-old.

Woodland appeared to finish his week with his second-consecutive 74 that left him one shot below the projected cut line. The frustration was evident after his round, but it wasn’t his game that was the source of the frustration.

“I’ve got a torn labrum in my left hip. I’ve got a lot of pain in there,” he said. “I’ve been fighting through it, but it gets to a point where you’re playing against the best players in the world, you just can’t play with pain. I’ve played with pain my whole life, but it’s getting a little tough.”

Woodland had struggled since the PGA Tour’s restart in June with just a single top-10 finish, but he began his week at Winged Foot with newfound confidence born from a week working with his swing coach Justin Parsons in South Florida.

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After making the turn at 1 under on Thursday, he ballooned to a closing-nine 40 and was only slightly better on the second nine on Day 2 (39).

Woodland said he had a cortisone shot to help ease the pain in his hip and he plans to see a specialist on Monday.

“It’s frustrating. Especially because this meant a lot to me coming back here defending,” he said. “I put a lot of time and effort into it, and if your body doesn’t let you do it, you just can’t do it, and that’s frustrating.”