Former Kansas Golfer Gary Woodland to be Inducted into Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame

The Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame will soon gain a new member as it was recently announced that former KU golfer Gary Woodland would be inducted during a formal ceremony at the Jayhawk Club in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 19.

The Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame recognizes the incredible achievements of past teams and individuals with displays within the Booth Family Hall of Athletics that is attached to Allen Fieldhouse.

Woodland – a native of Topeka, Kansas, who shined as a multi-sport student-athlete at Shawnee Heights High School – grew up a Jayhawks fan with the dream of one day getting to play basketball at KU. But when no offer came, he decided to play basketball at Division II Washburn University in Topeka.

Coincidentally, it was after an exhibition game against the No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks (the team he grew up rooting for) as a freshman in 2003, when Woodland realized that he would have better potential as a professional athlete in the sport of golf than basketball.

“In our first game, we played Kansas,” said Woodland. They were ranked No. 1 in Division I, and we were ranked No. 2 in Division II. And that decision got forced on me really quickly. I was guarding Kirk Hinrich, and (I was) like ‘Okay, I need to find something else because this ain’t gonna work.’”

Woodland transferred to KU to join the Kansas men’s golf team a year later and would go on to become one of the best golfers in program history.

Over the course of his four-year college career at KU from 2004 to 2007, Woodland was a two-time All-Big 12 selection. He competed in 50 events and brought home four individual titles, which still ranks second in program history to this day. Woodland also remains second in school history with 26 career rounds in the 60s.

A Jayhawk through and through. This moment means everything. 🙌

Congratulations to Gary Woodland on being inducted into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame! pic.twitter.com/n9e2Z6F6G0
— Kansas Jayhawks (@KUAthletics) September 4, 2025

Woodland turned pro in 2007 and joined the PGA Tour in 2009. He won his first PGA Tour event just two years later at the 2011 Transitions Championship in Florida. Woodland would win two more tournament titles before capturing the crown achievement of his career by winning the U.S. Open Championship in 2019 at Pebble Beach in California.

Just a few years later, Woodland experienced a serious health scare when a legion was found on his brain. He underwent surgery in September 2023 to remove it and returned to competition in January 2024. Earlier this year, Woodland received the 2025 PGA Tour Courage Award for his inspiring comeback.

"Gary represents everything we want our student-athletes to be," Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. "He is an amazing person who has tremendous pride in being a Jayhawk. He excelled during his time in Lawrence, rewriting the record books throughout his career. He then embarked on a professional career that culminated with a U.S. Open championship that KU fans everywhere will remember forever.”

The golf practice facility at the Jayhawk Club is named in Woodland’s honor to recognize his success and the generous donations and support he’s given to the KU men’s and women’s golf programs over the years.

"Playing golf at KU was the opportunity of a lifetime," Woodland said. "It laid the foundation for me to chase my dreams of being a professional athlete. Getting inducted into the University of Kansas Hall of Fame is beyond my wildest dreams and I couldn't be more grateful to be part of such incredible company. Rock Chalk!"