Monday Qualifier McDaniel goes low Sunday

POTOMAC, Maryland – Matthew Wolff came to the Wells Fargo Championship with more rounds in the 80s (three) than 60s (one) this year. He missed the cut at the Masters, PLAYERS Championship, Honda Classic. Went 0-3 in pool play at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Playing his home course earlier this week, he lost every ball in his bag. “I really didn’t come here expecting to play well,” Wolff said. But he did, his 5-under 65 placing him amongst early leaders at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. How unexpected was this? Wolff, 23, had never even seen the back nine until Thursday. Then again, volatility has been the norm, especially lately, for the superstar out of Oklahoma State. After winning the NCAA individual title, Wolff turned pro in June of 2019 and copped his first PGA TOUR title at the 3M Open a month later. Shot of the week: his 26-foot eagle putt on 18 as the crowd roared with delight. He was barely 20 years old. It’s been a roller-coaster ride since then, the highs (T4 at 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park; solo second at 2021 U.S. Open at Winged Foot) followed in short order by wayward shots, slumped shoulders and big numbers. Wolff has been nothing if not an enigma. Part of the issue has been the tendency – by Wolff and others – to make comparisons to Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, world-beaters who turned pro at the same time as Wolff. They’re good friends, he said, and he’s happy for their impressive accomplishments. But he’s not them. “There was so much pressure,” Wolff said, “and so much expectation around me that it was just really hard to live up to.” He calls himself a people-pleaser, but admits there may be too many people to please. It’s been a hard lesson. Also, one of the great misapprehensions about playing the TOUR is that it’s all about the golf. If that were true, Wolff, one of the longest hitters and toughest clutch players, would be in the clear. Instead, unaccustomed to the loneliness of being on the road, and saddled with expectations after his success, he disappeared for long stretches. He was living what other people would call a dream life, so why didn’t he feel happier? He looked for answers. He didn’t give up. He came back … and results varied. A solo second at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at the start of the current season last fall marked his second runner-up there in as many years. He shot an opening 61 at the Worldwide Technology Championship at Mayakoba (T5) and had two other top-20 finishes. Alas, since the calendar turned to 2022, the good shots, and smiles, have been scarce. Dismayed by his behavior, Wolff said he is trying to focus on staying upbeat regardless of what the scorecard says. He’s been listening to audiobooks, thinking about the people closest to him and their unconditional support. Mostly, he’s trying to tilt the scales to bring in more joy. “It’s definitely just been learning experiences and growing and maturing a little bit,” he said. He admitted the part of him wishes he’d stayed at Oklahoma State – he turned pro after two years – but in the next breath he said he wouldn’t change anything. It’s just the path he’s on. He might shoot 90 on Friday, he added, but that’s not the point. “As long as I have a good attitude,” he said, “I can put a check mark on this week and say that I’ve grown as a person and as a player and that’s just all I really care about … it’s funny but I’m not here to win a golf tournament, I’m here to have a good time.”

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The PGA TOUR’s only Modified Stableford event will once again be contested as an alternate to the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Richy Werenski, who won his maiden TOUR title at the Barracuda in 2020, will return to try to defend. FIELD NOTES: Three Olympians – Mito Pereira, Rafa Campos, and Thomas Pieters – will make the trek from Tokyo to Tahoe… After the Barracuda Championship there is just one more week left in the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season as the FedExCup playoffs begin at THE NORTHERN TRUST on Aug. 19. Golfers ranked 124th (Nate Lashley) and 126th (Patrick Rodgers) are both in the field in Tahoe, while many near the 125-spot will look to gain valuable points this week… John Daly will play his third non-major PGA TOUR event this season this week in Tahoe. He missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Barbasol Championship (and the PGA Championship)… The Sponsor Exemption list is chalk full of college superstars including John Pak (winner of the Nicklaus Award, the Haskins Award, and the Ben Hogan Award), and Davis Thompson (former No.1-ranked amateur). FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 300 FedExCup points STORYLINES: Can Troy Merritt finally do it? Merritt held the 54-hole lead in 2019 but was clipped in the final round by Collin Morikawa and finished second. In 2020 Merritt was again in the mix but fell to Werenski and finished runner-up again… The last five winners in Tahoe have been first-time TOUR winners… The Modified Stableford scoring format used features eight points for a double eagle, five points for an eagle, and two points for a birdie… Fans will be welcomed back for the 23rd annual Barracuda Championship. COURSE: Tahoe Mt. Club (Old Greenwood), par 71, 7,425 yards. The Blue Course at Montreux G&CC, a Jack Nicklaus design, was replaced by another Nicklaus design (Old Greenwood) for 2020 and the TOUR returns to the Tahoe Mt. Club for 2021. Set on 600 acres, golfers are required to navigate rolling hills, large greens, and numerous bunkers at Old Greenwood, which opened in 2004. There are three driveable par 4s with the course being set at over 6,000 feet above sea level. 72-HOLE RECORD: +49, Geoff Ogilvy (2014). 18-HOLE RECORD: +22, Kyle Reifers (4th round, 2015), Chad Campbell (3rd round, 2018). LAST TIME: Richy Werenski ended last year’s Barracuda Championship in dramatic fashion, holing a pitch from the fairway on the 16th hole Sunday for a five-point eagle and added a birdie on the 72nd hole for a one-point victory over Troy Merritt. Merritt failed to convert a 54-hole lead in Tahoe for the second year in a row. He had 10-straight birdie attempts on Sunday to close out his round but couldn’t get one of them to fall. Fabian Gomez and Matthias Schwab (playing on a Sponsor Exemption) finished tied for third while Robert Streb and Scott Stallings rounded out the top five. Aaron Wise had the round of the tournament in the final round, a 19-point effort, en route to finishing 8th. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Golf Channel).

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