Tour Report: Woodland’s basketball roots (PGATOUR.com)

Gene Cassell/Washburn Sports Information

Gary Woodland played one year at Division II Washburn University.

PHOTO GALLERY: Woodland’s basketball career at Washburn

Growing up in Kansas, all Gary Woodland wanted to do was play basketball. Even when Kansas wanted him to come to Lawrence and play golf, he balked, instead choosing to attend nearly Washburn University to play hoops.

“The golf coach at Kansas told me when I decided I was going to play basketball, he said, ‘You’re going to change your mind, you have a future in this game,’” Woodland said. “I called him a year later, and here we stand.”

Woodland told the story on Sunday night after he won the Transitions Championship to secure a two-year exemption on TOUR. It was ironic that Woodland broke through on the PGA TOUR the same week the NCAA Tournament opened. After the win, Woodland was peppered with questions about his days on the court.

As Woodland tells it, his first game for Washburn — coincidentally — was against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. It didn’t go well. Woodland finished with three points, having shot 1-for-7 from the field.

“We got smoked by Kansas, and I realized maybe I need to do something different,” Woodland said. “This isn’t going to work.

Woodland will be making his first start in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard this week at Bay Hill. The win at the Copperhead Course pushed to him third in the FedExCup standings.