Following his team captain Brooks Koepka‘s comments about him “quitting” and having given up on him, 24-year-old pro golfer Matthew Wolff responded with a lengthy statement to Sports Illustrated.
In the statement, Wolff acknowledges that his performance hasn’t been up to standards. However, he also notes that he is making strides in his life off of the course. Those gains in his life and mental health, he believes, will ultimately result in better play.
“I read the SI interview with our Captain Brooks Koepka and it was beyond disappointing to me,” Wolff’s statement reads. “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’s stature. 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.”
“However, 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 continues. “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. But I’m moving forward and won’t ever give up on myself. While on course results may not appear now to be positive indicators, I’m trying to win an even BIGGER game with my life.
“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. This will be my last comment on this matter. I’m heading out today to the Centurion Club trying to help our team win this week. I appreciate everyone’s continued support and your respect for my privacy.”
Koepka blasts 24-year-old teammate Matthew Wolff in UK
Ahead of this weekend’s LIV Golf event in London, Koepka blasted the work ethic and attitude of his Smash GC teammate Matthew Wolff.
Wolff has undoubtedly struggled on the course lately. In May’s LIV event in Washington, D.C., he withdrew prior to the final round, where he was 46th out of 48 players. He also recently finished 44th at a LIV event in Spain.
“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that’s not competing,” said Koepka, captain of Smash GC. “I’m not a big fan of that. You don’t work hard. It’s very tough. 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.”
LIV golf’s team-based competitions have opened the door for a lot more drama in the world of professional golf and it appears Koepka is leaning into it. The event outside London tees off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, July 7.
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