At this point, it’s safe to say Brooks Koepka and Matthew Wolff won’t be exchanging Christmas cards.
In fact, as we head into the season-ending LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami this weekend, it would be surprising if they even exchange scorecards.
Yes, the Wolff/Koepka drama is one of the most intriguing subplots this season of LIV Golf – and if you’re too busy paying attention to the Great War of Golf to pay attention to this Cold War, well, admittedly it’s very trivial, well, let’s talk about this. catch up with you.
Earlier this year, Koepka acquired Wolff into his LIV Golf franchise, Smash GC, hoping the young golfer would become a star under his tutelage. Both golfers share clothing sponsorship with Nike and were involved in similar activities in the years before LIV was founded. At the time of the acquisition, Wolff’s game appeared to be on track. He went through some dark times on the PGA Tour and in his first LIV season with Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers, but some strong finishes, including a runner-up finish at the 2020 US Open, were proof of his success. Star skill set needs casting. And who better to learn from than a five-time major champion like Koepka?
As far as we know, the argument between the two golfers started around the LIV event in Washington D.C. in May a tournament ends at Wolff WD. Wolff, a former prodigy who has been outspoken about mental health issues related to the pressures of professional golf, withdrew from the tournament after shooting a 6 on Saturday. Obviously, this disappointed Koepka, whose Smash GC found themselves losing in the final round on Sunday en route to taking the final spot in the team competition this weekend.
Later that week, Smash GC dropped Wolff from its marketing materials and Koepka gave an interview to Sports Illustrated, criticizing his teammate for what he perceived as a lack of effort and commitment.
“I almost gave up on him,” Koepka said at the time. “There’s a lot of talent, but I mean, the talent is being wasted.”
The months that followed this interaction yielded little for either golfer. Koepka neglected to say much beyond his surprisingly candid interview with SI, which saw his Smash GC fall to eighth place out of 12 teams. Meanwhile, Wolff’s on-field difficulties piled up with four dominant finishes in six starts.
It seemed like the season would gradually pass, giving both teams a chance to have a fresh start in the new year. But then came last weekend’s LIV event in Jeddah, when Koepka was asked about the status of his team ahead of the team championship…and chose to fire another shot.
“There are only three people in our team,” he said, apparently referring to Wolff’s recent difficulties and his ostracism of the team. “Obviously I mean my brother, I’m quite close to him and then – I’ve been enjoying being with Jay [Kokrak] lately – I’ve been quite close to Jay for about three years.”
Comments This surprised the media present, to the point that no one bothered to ask any more questions. That is, until Thursday morning in Miami, when Koepka stepped in front of the lectern.
Doral represented a unique opportunity for Koepka and Wolff to mend fences. As the home of LIV’s team championship, Koepka would be responsible for pairing up his four players into two singles matches and an alternate shot match. If Smash won two of three matches against the Hyflyers, they would advance to the next round of the league’s team championship. In short, Brooks would need everyone on board, especially after he’d paired Wolff with his brother, Chase — leaving himself and Jason Kokrak to play singles matches.
Finally, as the questions about the team championship faded, a reporter asked Koepka directly about his relationship with Wolff. If the pair had made amends, it sure didn’t sound like it.
“It’s the same thing as every week,” Brooks said, sounding irritated. “He’s only in control of what he can do.”
The reporter followed up. Had Brooks offered any advice for his team’s youngest player this week?
“No, I don’t have much interaction with him.”
Did Koepka feel it was important for him to be close with Wolff, considering they’re still teammates?
“I’ve tried. I’ve spent a majority of the beginning of the year trying to help and trying to figure that out, and I think it’s past its point,” he said. “I’ve tried, I’ve been very open with it.”
Then, as he punctuated his final point, Koepka offered his most damning criticism to date.
“Sometimes you can’t help people that don’t want help.”
In other words, it may be a situation beyond salvaging for both sides. But does that mean the fireworks are over?
We’ve got three days left in the season to find out.
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