Gary Woodland carded eight birdies and one bogey to close with a 7-under 63 and move to the top of the leaderboard at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He leads the field in Birdies (15), Strokes Gained: Approach The Green (5.633).

At 13-under 127, the American set his new career-best 36-hole score on the PGA Tour (previous: 128/2017 Sony Open in Hawaii/finished T6). He holds his eighth career 36-hole lead/co-lead and first since the 2021 Truist Championship (a span of 1,785 days) and is 1-for-7 converting one to victory (2019 US Open).

“I was obviously in control very well today. But I was proud of myself because what Randy Smith, my coach, calls an “oops,” I had a bad swing there on 13, and I’ve hit it so well the last couple days, I didn’t let that bother me. I told myself to forget about it and move on, and I was able to do that. That was a big change I would say for me to let that go and keep doing what I’ve been doing the last couple days. I’m proud of myself for that,” said Woodland.

“I’ve putted it well all year I missed a lot of putts right earlier in the year. My putting coach, Phil Kenyon, and I were on the putting green at Sawgrass, we were talking about it. Found out I was aimed a little left and probably shoving my putts all year. So we switched to a different Scotty Cameron that allows me to line it up. I guess it helps when you line it up right because we haven’t really changed anything besides got the line a little better and the ball’s rolling in.

“I’ve got lot of confidence in [my new iron] shafts. It was hard for me to get out of them because I played them for so long and had a lot of success, but with my speed the way it is right now, I need that extra stiff, that extra boardy feel in there. It’s allowing me to work the golf ball again and control it more than anything, control the spin, so it’s been really good.”

He has won four times on Tour: 2011 Valspar Championship, 2013 Reno-Tahoe Open, 2018 WM Phoenix Open, 2019 US Open.

Woodland finished runner-up at last year’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, marking his 11th runner-up finish on Tour and best finish since his most recent victory (2019 US Open). He seeks to become the first player to finish runner-up and then win the same tournament the next season since Robert MacIntyre (2023, 2024 Genesis Scottish Open).

He was the recipient of the 2025 PGA Tour Courage Award having undergone surgery to remove a brain lesion in September 2023 and returned to competition at the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Woodland has had two top-10 finishes in 55 starts since his surgery (T9/2024 Shriners Children’s Open, T2/2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open) and one top-25 in seven starts this season (T14/Valspar Championship).

No slowing down @GaryWoodland 🔥

His 7-under round gives him a four-shot lead @TCHouOpen.

📺 PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/UP25jvNfhF

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 27, 2026

Nicolai Højgaard lies in T2 at 10-under having fired an eagle at the par-5 3rd as well as one bogey and recorded an 8-under 62, his lowest 18-hole score in 197 rounds on Tour (previous: 63/R2/2023 Genesis Scottish Open) and ties the tournament scoring record:
• Gary Woodland (2025/R4/Memorial Park)
• Sami Välimäki (2025/R4/Memorial Park)
• Scottie Scheffler (2021/R2, 2025/R2/Memorial Park)
• Tony Finau (2022/R2, 2024/R2/Memorial Park)
• Fred Funk (1992/R3/TPC Woodlands)
• Ron Streck (1981/R3/Woodlands CC)

Open qualifier Jackson Suber of the USA closed with a bogey-free 63 and shares second place. He seeks to become the first qualifier to win on Tour since Corey Conners at the 2019 Valero Texas Open.

Australian defending champion Min Woo Lee moved into a share of fourth place at 9-under following a bogey-free 63 featuring an eagle at the par-5 16th. He seeks to become the second player to successfully defend a Texas Children’s Houston Open title (Vijay Singh/2005/GC of Houston).

Compatriot Jason Day also signed for a bogey-free 63, his lowest 18-hole score in 28 rounds at the event, and second 63 of the season (The American Express/R1) and shares fourth place.

Six players (Nicolai Højgaard, Gary Woodland, Min Woo Lee, Jason Day, Jackson Suber, Max McGreevy) shot 63 or better in the second round, marking the most in a single round at Memorial Park Golf Course.

Playing on a Major Medical Extension, 18-hole leader Paul Waring of England followed a career-low 7-under 63 with a 1-over 71 (3 bogeys) and moved down into T11 at 6-under. This marks his first made cut since the 2025 RBC Canadian Open (finished T47).

All four of the past Texas Children’s Houston Open champions in the field made the cut: Min Woo Lee (T4/-9), Adam Scott (T8/-7), Stephan Jaeger (T20/-5), Tony Finau (T33/-4).

The top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking through the Texas Children’s Houston Open will qualify for the Masters Tournament if not already exempt; players in the field between Nos. 40-65 in the OWGR who have not qualified for the Masters and their positions thru 36-holes:
• No. 42 Jake Knapp (T11/-6)
• No. 47 Nicolai Højgaard (T2/-10)
• No. 56 Michael Thorbjornsen (T6/-8)
• No. 61 Rickie Fowler (MC)
• No. 65 Jordan Smith (T60/-2)

Related: Golf’s living heritage: traditions that have shaped the game over generations

Discover how Golf's history and tradition contribute to the game's integrity and honor, influencing modern play worldwide