Brooks Koepka’s comments about LIV Golf teammate Matthew Wolff show the door is officially shut
MIAMI — For those who believed there was any chance of Brooks Koepka and Matthew Wolff salvaging their relationship, Koepka’s comments Wednesday ahead of LIV Golf’s season-ending team championship slammed that door shut.
Forever.
Koepka has not sugarcoated his feelings about Wolff, who, like Koepka, lives in Jupiter. And he dug in again Wednesday. Now Wolff, who remains a part of Koepka’s LIV team, is paired with Brooks’ brother, Chase, in Friday’s foursomes event.
“We don’t have much interaction, no,” Brooks said.
When pushed, he elaborated.
“I’ve tried. I’ve spent the majority of the beginning of the year trying to help and trying to figure that out. But I think it’s past its point. I’ve tried. I’ve been very open with it. Sometimes you can’t help people that don’t want help.”
Smash, the team Koepka captains, includes his brother, Wolff and Jason Kokrak.
In July, Koepka questioned Wolff’s work ethic and attitude, saying he has a lot of talent but that “talent’s wasted.” This was after Wolff withdrew from the LIV event outside of Washington, D.C.
Last week, during the LIV event at Jeddah, which Koepka won, he was asked about his team and said, “there’s only three of us on our team,” and talked about how much he enjoys being around Chase and Kokrak.
Now, Brooks Koepka likely will be looking for two new team members for the 2024 season. Chase Koepka was 48th in the individual points standings and will be relegated. His only path back to LIV is through a full-field promotion event that will be held in December.
Brooks was third in the final individual standings, Kokrak 23rd and Wolff 27th.
Wolff was approached by Golfweek on Wednesday following Koepka’s comments but did not stop, shaking his head before a question was asked. But in a recent interview with The Palm Beach Post, before both the Jeddah and Doral events (and the Ryder Cup) Wolff said the Koepka controversy was behind him. He added he believed Koepka deserved his spot on the Ryder Cup team.
Matthew Wolff open about mental health
Wolff, 24, has been open about his mental health struggles, saying at one time it was difficult just getting out of bed and that he feared going to tournaments. He said did not want to “screw up in front of everyone.”
This was early 2021.
“Golf is just really hard,” Wolff told The Post last month. “Growing up it came really easy to me, the competition was easier. In a professional setting, it’s hard in front of everyone with all that pressure knowing you’re not going to play well every single time.
“It’s something that I struggled with a little bit coming from college and junior golf where you won everything you entered pretty much, and transitioning into (professional golf.) These guys are the best in the world and even if you play decent you might get whacked. It’s more of a rollercoaster and handling that is something I’m certain to learn and grow into a little bit.”
Despite the harsh, and insensitive, comments from Brooks, Wolff still believes LIV’s team format has eliminated some of that pressure he felt playing in isolation on the PGA Tour.
Brooks Koepka of Smash GC speaks to the media after the first round of LIV Golf Jeddah at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Friday, October 13, 2023, in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf)
“Pro golf is a lonely place,” Wolff said. “You don’t really feel like you have many people, at least I didn’t feel like that before. When I made that jump to LIV, I felt like there were a lot more people looking out for me and had my back.
“Just kind of gives me a little bit of weight off your shoulders and you have a team to lean on and go to, guys I care about a little bit more. It’s been pretty nice as well.”
All of which makes Koepka’s comments even more coldhearted. Wolff might deserve some blame for this relationship souring, but anything that has happened off the course, during team meetings, does not warrant Koepka’s public comments about a teammate who has had personal struggles.
Brooks Koepka vs. Phil Mickelson in Friday’s quarterfinals
Regardless of where Smash finishes in the team championship — Koepka’s team faces HyFlyers, captained by Phil Mickelson, in Friday’s quarterfinals on the Blue Monster with Koepka and Mickelson going head-to-head in match play — Koepka already has secured a solid season over all platforms.
Koepka captured his fifth career major at the PGA Championship, was runner-up at the Masters and was the only LIV golfer to play in the Ryder Cup. His victory at Jeddah was his second on the LIV tour this season along with three other top 5 finishes.
Koepka, who recently became a dad for the first time, has won $17.5 million in prize money from LIV, including a $4 million bonus for placing third in the individual standings. His PGA Tour earnings for the four majors was just more than $5 million.
His most lucrative years previous were 2019 and 2022, when he earned just more than $9.5 million.
“I definitely feel like I’m back to my old self,” he said after winning Jeddah.
