TROON, Scotland (AP) – Gary Woodland didn’t get the result he wanted at the Scottish Open. It was hard to tell from the wide smile on his face for a couple of important reason

One was his head. The former U.S. Open champion is trying to work his way back from brain surgery last September and it’s been a rough recovery with medication. He had a scan last week that was good, his dose was lowered and he played without pain medication for his head for the first time since he returned in January.

“That’s extremely exciting,” Woodland said. “It’s probably why I have a little more energy, a little more pep in my step. I haven’t felt this way in a long time.”

The other reason for feeling so upbeat was reuniting with Randy Smith.

Smith, the Hall of Fame coach best known now for taking on a young kid in Dallas named Scottie Scheffler, was Woodland’s coach all through college and onto the PGA Tour. Woodland referred to him as a second father.

But then he left Hambric Sports manager Blake Smith for Excel Sports in 2012. Blake Smith, who represents Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, is the son of Randy Smith. The player cut lose the manager, and his coach cut lose the player. It was a family things

Tiger Woods of the United States answers questions at a press conference ahead of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Troon golf club in Troon, Scotland, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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