photo by: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Gary Woodland tees off on the 13th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa.

Kansas Athletics will induct golfer Gary Woodland into its Hall of Fame, it was announced on Thursday. The induction ceremony will take place on Sept. 19 at The Jayhawk Club in Lawrence.

“There is no easier Jayhawk to root for than Gary, and we are so proud he is taking his rightful place in the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame,” KU athletic director Travis Goff said in a press release.

Woodland has won four PGA Tour events as a professional, headlined by the 2019 U.S. Open in Pebble Beach, California, and is already a member of the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame and Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame.

“Gary represents everything we want our student-athletes to be,” 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.”

Originally from Topeka, Woodland is a 2007 graduate of KU, where he was a two-time all-conference selection and won four of the 50 events in which he competed. The four victories rank second in program history; he is also second among Jayhawks all time with 26 rounds in the 60s, which was the KU record at the time he concluded his career.

“Playing golf at KU was the opportunity of a lifetime,” Woodland said in the release. “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!”

In 2023, Woodland had surgery to remove a tumor from his brain and returned to competition just four months later. He received the PGA Tour Courage Award in February, and in September will serve as an assistant captain for the United States at the Ryder Cup.

KU got approval from the Kansas Board of Regents in September 2023 to rename its golf practice facility at The Jayhawk Club in Woodland’s honor.

“Gary has been an incredible fan, supporter and friend to the Kansas golf team,” KU men’s golf coach Jamie Bermel said. “He is always willing to give his time to the team, and he has been a donor for many years. Gary Woodland is the standard for Kansas golf. Not only is he a great golfer, but more importantly he is an incredible person, friend, husband and father.”