Aaron Wise will begin Sunday at the ISCO Championship one shot behind Lucas Glover, 18 holes from a chance to win on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2018. That is the golf story, but it is not the whole story.
Wise reached 14 under with a third-round 66 at Hurstbourne Country Club, finishing with two late birdies after spending much of Saturday waiting for a round he felt was better than the scorecard showed. He stayed patient, accepted the imperfect stretches and gave himself a place in the final pairing.
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Then, after the round, he said something far more meaningful than anything found on the leaderboard.
“There was a lot of times I never knew if I would even be able to play out here again,” Wise said. “So to have that opportunity’s amazing.”
For anyone who has wrestled with anxiety or another mental-health struggle, that sentence carries weight. It did for me.
Aaron Wise hits out of the bunker on the ninth hole during the final round of the John Deere Classic. One week later, Wise carried his resurgent play into contention at the ISCO Championship, another significant step in a comeback shaped by perseverance, renewed joy and an openly shared mental-health journey. Photo: July 5, 2026; Silvis, Illinois.Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images.
In Aaron Wise’s Words
“There was a lot of times I never knew if I would even be able to play out here again, so to have that opportunity’s amazing.”
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Aaron Wise, after Round 3
Winning Sunday would mean the world. Returning to golf, rediscovering joy and feeling like himself again already mean something larger.
When Success Does Not Silence the Struggle
I have dealt with anxiety for most of my adult life. It has followed me through different jobs, professional milestones, awards, business ventures, raising a family and a career spent inside a game I have loved since childhood.
That is one of anxiety’s most misunderstood traits. It does not necessarily disappear when life looks good from the outside. Achievement does not provide immunity, and gratitude does not prevent the mind from becoming overwhelmed.
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There have been times when I was doing some of the best work of my life while fighting an internal battle almost nobody could see. You learn how to show up, meet deadlines, coach players, speak confidently and keep moving. None of that makes the struggle less real.
I would never claim to know exactly what Wise experienced, and I would not diagnose him from a distance. His story is his own. Still, when he talks about losing his sense of self and withdrawing from ordinary life, the words feel familiar.
Wise Had to Rebuild the Person Before the Player
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Wise’s rise once appeared almost effortless. He won the 2016 NCAA individual championship at Oregon, captured the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson in his rookie season and was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He climbed as high as No. 33 in the world and returned to the Tour Championship in 2022.
Then, days before the 2023 Masters, Wise withdrew so he could focus on his mental health. At the time, he explained that golf’s mental component had become a struggle and that stepping away was necessary if he hoped to compete again at a level that made him proud.
The break became much longer and the return much harder than he anticipated. Wise later described playing professional golf at that stage as harmful to him. He was no longer himself, no longer enjoying the life he had worked so hard to build and no longer equipped to carry the stress that came with it.
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His comments after Friday’s second round at the ISCO Championship revealed how far the struggle had extended beyond the ropes.
“It wasn’t even just losing the joy of practicing, it was off-the-course life,” Wise said. “I just didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t even want to go have dinner with friends. Like I was in a really, really bad place.”
That detail matters. Missing dinner with friends may sound small beside a Masters withdrawal or a long struggle to regain a PGA Tour game. In reality, the ordinary moments often tell the truest story. When connection, conversation and simple enjoyment begin to feel exhausting, the problem is no longer a bad stretch of golf.
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Wise understood that he could not begin with TrackMan numbers or tournament schedules. He had to start with himself.
“Kind of built that back up first, got to feeling like myself off the golf course and started introducing golf again,” he said.
That may be the most important sentence in his comeback.
A Journey Back
More Than a Golf Comeback
2018
A Breakthrough Season
Wise wins the AT&T Byron Nelson and earns PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors.
2023
A Necessary Step Away
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Days before the Masters, Wise withdraws to prioritize his mental health and begins an extended break from regular competition.
2026
Back in the Final Pairing
After rebuilding his life away from golf and gradually restoring his game, Wise enters Sunday at the ISCO Championship one stroke from the lead.
Recovery Did Not Follow a Tournament Calendar
Professional golf rewards urgency. Players chase FedExCup points, status, starts, exemptions and the next opportunity. Mental health rarely responds to that kind of timetable.
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Wise took nearly two years away and discovered that returning was not as simple as deciding he was ready. His skills had dulled, practice initially felt like a chore and the game demanded long days that he was still learning how to manage again. The progress came slowly and not always in a straight line.
Last week’s John Deere Classic produced his first made cut of the season and his best PGA Tour finish since spring 2023, even though a difficult final round dropped him into a tie for 39th. This week has provided another step forward. Wise opened with consecutive 65s, then followed with Saturday’s 66 to move within one shot of the lead.
The numbers matter because this is professional sports, but Wise keeps returning to a different vocabulary: learning, growing, process, patience and trust.
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After Saturday’s round, he said he remained present, calm and committed to executing the shot in front of him. He also made clear that Sunday’s result will not determine whether the week was worthwhile.
“I’m going to stick to my process, do what I’ve been doing and then look at it after tomorrow ends and chips fall where they do and try to learn from it for the future,” Wise said.
That is not the language of someone lowering expectations. It is the language of someone who understands what he must protect while pursuing them.
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His Best Friend Is Carrying the Bag
Wise will not walk into the final round alone. His wife has caddied for him for more than a year, beginning with little golf knowledge but offering something he needed more than technical expertise: trust, comfort and perspective.
“She lets me just focus on the golf side of things,” Wise said. “And then I have my best friend on the bag with me, so it’s been a great thing.”
He said he will lean on her Sunday to remain present, stay in the moment and have fun regardless of what happens. In a sport that often treats independence as a virtue, Wise’s willingness to acknowledge the importance of another person feels especially meaningful.
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Those of us who have dealt with anxiety know the value of a steady presence. The right person cannot hit the shot, silence every thought or remove every difficult day. They can remind you that you are not carrying all of it by yourself.
Sunday at Hurstbourne
Aaron Wise Has a Chance to Win Again
Wise enters the final round of the ISCO Championship one shot behind Lucas Glover after three consecutive rounds in the 60s.
Position
2nd
54-Hole Score
14 Under
Saturday
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66
Leader
Lucas Glover
Sunday offers Wise a chance at his second PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson.
Sunday Cannot Define the Comeback
There will be a temptation to frame Sunday as a final test. If Wise wins, the comeback is complete. If he falls short, the story remains unfinished.
Mental health does not work that way.
A trophy would mean the world to Wise, as he freely admitted. It would be his second PGA Tour victory and his first in more than eight years. It would restore opportunities, validate thousands of hours of work and create one of the most uplifting winning stories of the season.
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It would not erase what he endured. A difficult Sunday would not erase how far he has come, either.
The better measure is found in what Wise says he can enjoy again. He enjoys solving the changing puzzles of his golf game. He trusts himself on the course. He accepts that one day can feel different from the next. Most importantly, he once again appears capable of seeing golf as part of his life rather than something consuming it.
That is why his return resonates with me. Living with anxiety has taught me that progress is not the absence of hard moments. It is developing the tools, support and self-awareness to move through them without losing yourself.
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Wise has already done something larger than returning to a leaderboard. He found his way back to the practice ground, to competition and, by his own account, to the person he recognized away from golf.
On Sunday, he will try to chase down Lucas Glover and win the ISCO Championship. The result will matter because competitors are allowed to care deeply about winning.
Before Aaron Wise takes his first swing in the final round, however, the most important part of his comeback is already visible. He is playing again, trusting again and enjoying the challenge again.
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For anyone who understands how hard it can be simply to feel like yourself, that is a victory worth recognizing.
Mental-Health Support
You Do Not Have to Carry It Alone
If Aaron Wise’s story feels familiar, reaching out is not a sign of weakness. Support is available for people experiencing anxiety, emotional distress, a mental-health crisis or simply a difficult period they are struggling to manage.
1
Immediate Emotional or Crisis Support
Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Free, confidential support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Online chat is also available.
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Visit the 988 Lifeline
2
Information, Guidance and Peer Support
The NAMI HelpLine offers mental-health information, support and resource referrals. Call 800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 62640, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Explore NAMI Support
3
Find Professional Treatment
SAMHSA’s FindTreatment.gov is a confidential and anonymous resource for locating mental-health and substance-use treatment providers throughout the United States and its territories.
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Search for Treatment
If someone is in immediate danger: Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. These resources are provided for informational purposes and are not a substitute for professional medical care.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.
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Related: Gary Woodland’s Invisible Battle: When Courage Means Speaking the Unspeakable
Related: Gratitude, Transparency and Why I’m Skipping PGA Show 2026
Related: The Hidden Battle: Mental Health in the World of Golf
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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