Former Ryder Cup star Chris Wood’s career slump has been so bad that he has been replaced by his also very tall namesake at Nottingham Forest as the most popular Chris Wood on Wikipedia.
Wood, like so many who have gone before him has suffered a massive slump in his career after reaching its high point and he is trying to forge a return by taking the International Series route on the Asian Tour.
In 2016 the then 28-year-old appeared to be in his prime when he made the European Ryder Cup team in Hazeltine and even picked up a point from his two matches as he was maybe underused by captain Darren Clarke at the time.
Since then the Englishman has been on the slide and to describe him as being in the wilderness is apt because he is certainly in the category of golf’s forgotten players.
But the now 1,535th ranked golfer in the world has opened up about his slump in the game and his journey through the wilderness is not your standard tale of woe.
The toweringly tall golfer has been battling serious mental health issues over the last five years including taking entire year off as he went 52 weeks without competing in a sanctioned tournament in a bid to reset his mind for this campaign which saw him finish a lowly 134th on the Challenge Tour rankings.
Wood said: “I was diagnosed with chronic anxiety and burnout. I’ve been through a really rubbish time over the last few years where my golf has really impacted me mentally.
“I’ve actually been like that since 2019 but it took maybe four years before I did anything about it. It took literally bottoming out to stop, and I didn’t play at all last year. I took a whole year off, and this year has been about trying to get a card in my hand again.”
Wood is competing in the International Series Black Mountain Championship Hua Hin, Thailand this week where he is a respectable 27th place on ten-under after rounds of 69, 69 and 68 and nine shots off the pace.
The International Series is widely viewed by players around the globe as a pathway to the big time and a place on the LIV Golf League. However, the former Ryder Cup star is viewing it as an important step on his road to recovery following years in the wilderness.
Wood had initially hit the headlines in 2008 with a T5 and silver medal as highest amateur in The Open at Royal Birkdale, and he followed that with a T3 the following year at Turnberry.
Wood then claimed four big wins: the Thailand Open in 2012, Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in 2013, Lyoness Open in 2015 and BMW PGA Championship in 2016, on his way to securing a place in Team Europe for the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Now at 36, there is still plenty of time for Wood to get back to the level he was at and he believes he can get back to competing in Ryder Cups.
“Ten years ago if you had said to me, you will be in this position mentally, I was so unaware of what those words meant, and it takes going through something like this, or someone very close to you going through it, before you can appreciate what those struggles are actually like.
“It’s hard because I still believe I’ve even got a Ryder Cup in me, I truly believe that, and I wouldn’t still be putting myself in positions where I feel anxious and exposed unless I felt like it’s going to be worth it.”
Leave a comment