Forgotten Ryder Cup star makes comeback after “going through hell”

There’s a feel-good story emerging here at the Turkish Airlines Open. 

After years in the wilderness, Chris Wood is back firing on the golf course once more.

Wood, the towering Englishman who played in the 2016 Ryder Cup and won the BMW PGA Championship in the same year, says he has been through “hell and back” since the heights of almost a decade ago.

After a complete breakdown in confidence with his swing, Wood’s game spiralled dramatically by the 2019 season and he struggled on for four years before taking 12 months away to address his mental health.

Once the world No.22, Wood now sits well outside the top 1,000 in the world rankings.

“I was diagnosed with chronic anxiety and burnout,” Wood said last year. “I’ve been through a really rubbish time over the last few years where my golf has really impacted me mentally.

“It’s still very, very hard but I’m still doing it because I want to, and because I feel like I’ve got so much more to offer. I know the quality of shots I’ve got and I can hit, so that’s why I’m still in it.”

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The 37-year-old’s inactivity means he is now relying on invites to forge his path back on the DP World Tour, but Wood is making impressive headway on just his second start of the season.

A second-round 67 here at the stunning Regnum Carya resort leaves the Bristolian six shots behind leading Frenchman Martin Couvra at the halfway mark.

It’s the first DP World Tour cut that Wood has made since the Portugual Masters back in October 2022.

“I’m really proud of myself,” he told bunkered.co.uk after his four-under round. “It feels loose but there’s so many good elements. Mentally I’ve been in a good place for quite a long time.

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“In Qatar (in February), I had a shocking finish and missed the cut but I was brilliant mentally. That’s a massive win for me. My game’s starting to progress as well which is really good.

“I’ve got a task for the week, which was just to be good with myself mentally.

“That can be challenging depending on the situation. I’ve got to be really strong on that. And if I can build up some points over the year to give myself a chance of a few invites, that would be great.”

Whatever happens over the weekend in Antalya, let’s hope these are the first signs of a long-awaited resurgence.

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.