Gary Woodland joined by Obama family, Secret Service on commercial flight

HONOLULU — Gary Woodland had a brief vacation with wife Gabby on the Big Island before coming over to Oahu for the Sony Open. Never was a 45-minute flight more memorable.

They were in the second row on the Hawaiian Airlines flight. The final passengers to board were in the first row — former President Barrack Obama, his wife and two daughters.

“That one surprised me,” Woodland said. “I was surprised he was on a commercial flight.”

Woodland thought it was strange when they boarded the flight and were told their overhead luggage needed to be stored toward the back of the plane, not in first class. Before long, he said five or six federal agents boarded the plane.

“I knew President Obama was playing golf at the same place I was, so I knew he was in town,” Woodland said. “Then I saw the Secret Service and I had an inkling. When they told us to put our luggage in the back, I had never seen that before in first class.”

Woodland said the flight was full, but the Obama family was the last to board and “I don’t even think people knew he was on the plane.”

“It was a cool experience,” Woodland said. “There was no talking. I would have loved to have talked to him, but I didn’t want to bother him, either. Just to see the whole operation — how they did it, when we landed, five or six more Secret Service — it was cool.”

Obama loves golf and sports. Unclear is whether the former president recognized the 2019 U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach. Woodland said he and his wife were asked to deplane first.

“I said, ‘Thank you for your service’ when I got off the plane,” Woodland said. “I don’t know if he recognized me or not. I know people who know him and they say he’s a massive sports nut and a golf fan. He gave me a thumbs-up when I got off the plane.”