American golfer Gary Woodland undergoes surgery to remove brain tumor

American golfer Gary Woodland has undergone surgery to remove a tumor on his brain, an update posted to his social media accounts said.

The former US Open champion underwent a “long” operation on Monday that removed the majority of the lesion, a diagnosis he revealed in a post on August 30.

Discovered a few months prior, the Kansas-born 39-year-old said he had attempted to treat the symptoms with medication before the decision for surgery was taken.

Woodland, whose last competitive appearance came at North Carolina’s Wyndham Championship in early August, will now undergo a period of rest.

“At this time, the family requests space and privacy to be together,” Monday’s post added.

“Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers as he gets started on the road to recovery.”

A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, the highlight of Woodland’s 16-year professional career came at Pebble Beach in 2019 when he beat compatriot Brooks Koepka by three shots to lift the US Open, his first major title.

That marks his most recent win on the PGA Tour, though he has finished twice inside the top-10 this season and ranked 74th in the world after his tied-27th finish at the Wyndham Championship.