#Gary Woodland’s US Open defense was doomed from the start

Gary Woodland was hoping a return to the US Open this week as defending champion could give him some renewed energy and get his game back on track.

But he may need a little more help to cure what’s actually been ailing him: a torn labrum in his hip.

Woodland revealed he has been playing through the injury Friday after shooting a 4-over-par 74 at Winged Foot to drop to 8-over through two rounds. The 2019 US Open champion is expected to miss the cut, which should give his hip some rest before he visits a specialist on Monday.

“I’ve got a lot of pain in there, and I’ve been fighting through it, but it gets to a point where you’re playing against the best players in the world, you just can’t play with pain,” Woodland said. “I’ve played with pain my whole life, but it’s getting a little tough.”

Woodland, who recorded three birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey on Friday, indicated he had been dealing with the injury for the last six weeks. During that time period, he shot 2-over (T-58) at the PGA Championship, missed the cut at the Northern Trust (even) and shot 7-over (T-33) at the BMW Championship.

Heading into the U.S. Open, the 36-year-old spoke with optimism about his work with new swing coach Justin Parsons, but his physical state made any progress even more challenging than what Winged Foot already had in store.

“Obviously the last six weeks have been frustrating just pain-wise,” he said. “The game is actually I feel like in a pretty good spot, doing things really well and just can’t get around the pain. It’s frustrating. Especially because this meant a lot to me coming back here defending. I put a lot of time and effort into it, and if your body doesn’t let you do it, you just can’t do it, and that’s frustrating.

“The first couple months back from quarantine I wasn’t playing great. Finally got to a point where I feel like the game is as good as it’s been, I just can’t do it, so I’ve got to reevaluate.”