Gary Woodland's toughest year recovering from brain surgery is also his proudest

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Gary Woodland has strong memories of Bellerive, the closest tournament to his Kansas home. He led the 2018 PGA Championship after 18 and 36 holes and started the final round two shots out of the lead, his first Sunday in a major playing alongside Tiger Woods.“I'd never seen anything like that,” Woodland said. “It was ruckus. It was awesome. I was watching him and got caught up in him.”Woodland is convinced that experience is what enabled him to win the U.S. Open the following year at Pebble Beach, which stands as the biggest moment of his career.Biggest. Most memorable. But no longer his proudest moment.That would be this year, among his toughest seasons as he tries to recover from brain surgery that removed part — but not all — of a lesion that triggered unfounded fears o