Matthew Wolff says it was “heartbreaking” to listen to his LIV Golf captain Brooks Koepka name him a quitter, issuing a press release to Sports Illustrated on Friday that stated he continues to cope with psychological well being challenges on and off the course.
“While my 2023 season has not been all I had hoped for to this point, I have made positive strides in managing my life and feel like my game is turning for the positive,” Wolff stated in his assertion to SI.
“To hear through the media that our team leader has given up on me is heartbreaking. It’s not what a team member looks to hear from its leader, and I think we all know these comments should have been handled much differently.”
It’s the primary public battle among the many 48-man roster at Saudi-funded LIV Golf, which options four-man groups with a captain.
Wolff, who walked away from golf for 2 months in 2021 to deal with psychological well being, performed for Phil Mickelson’s group in 2022 and converted to Koepka’s group (Smash) this yr. Wolff has solely two high 10s this yr — his finest was a tie for fifth — and he got here into LIV Golf-London having not completed among the many high 30 in his final 5 LIV occasions.
Koepka, a three-time LIV winner who gained the PGA Championship for his fifth main in May, unloaded on Wolff in an interview with SI earlier within the week.
“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that’s not competing,” Koepka stated. “I’m not a big fan of that. You don’t work hard. It’s very tough to have even like a team dynamic when you’ve got one guy that won’t work, one guy is not going to give any effort, he’s going to quit on the course, break clubs, gets down, bad body language, it’s very tough. I’ve basically given up on him. A lot of talent, but I mean the talent’s wasted.”
Wolff stated in his assertion it was “beyond disappointing” to learn Koepka’s remark.
“When I chose to join his team in 2023, I did so with much optimism about my new home as part of Team Smash and equally as important the chance to be around and learn from a player of Brooks’ stature,” Wolff stated. “Like everyone who has ever played the game at the highest level, I have had competitive moments in the past that I feel I have let myself down and even others in our new team environment. This has been quite difficult for me.
“My challenges on and off the golf course with my mental health has been well documented. I deal with those challenges every day.”
Wolff gained the Jack Nicklaus Award in 2019 because the nation’s finest faculty golfer when he was a sophomore at Oklahoma State. The California native turned professional and gained on the PGA Tour in his third begin. A yr later, he had the 54-hole lead within the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, ending second to Bryson DeChambeau.
But he struggled in 2021 and walked away for 2 months.
“Mental health is a really big problem,” Wolff stated when he returned that yr on the U.S. Open. “Any professional athlete has to deal with a lot more stress and pressure than most people and it just kind of got to me. But I’ve been working on it, I’ve been learning and I think that’s all I can do.”
Wolff stated in his assertion that whereas his on-course outcomes aren’t optimistic in the intervening time, “I’m trying to win an even BIGGER game with my life.”
And he had a parting shot for Koepka.
“Finally, I trust Brooks wants what is best for our team. But it’s hard to imagine his comments in his recent SI interview in any way line up with those priorities,” Wolff stated.
He stated it might be his final remark, and that he was going out to attempt to assist his group win at LIV Golf-London.
Wolff shot a 73. Koepka had a 72. Smash was 11 pictures out of the lead.