Tiger vs. Phil: The Disappointment

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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