Despite successfully defending his title in Jeddah on Sunday, things are not quite cheerful in the team dressing room, and this isn’t a good look on Brooks Koepka as a captain of the Smash GC.
The five time major champion confirmed suspicions of a team rift on Saturday after he completely dismissed Matthew Wolff in a LIV Golf Jeddah presser saying that there were only three members on the team (which includes Wolff, Chase Koepka (Koepka’s younger brother), and Jason Kokrak). Does this mean that Wolff is out of Smash GC for the next season?
What This Rift Says About Brooks Koepka and His Captaincy
Back in July, Koepka went on record to call out one of his team members, Matthew Wolff, on his work ethic and attitude. Wolff has had a tough time after joining LIV Golf and even withdrew from a final event outside of Washington D.C. Koepka criticized him for his behavior saying that he was a wasted talent, and that he had given up on him.
“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.”
Wolff in turn went on to respond to this comment and said that he was disappointed by his captain’s public remarks. He admitted to have been struggling with mental health on and off the course, and the challenges that came with it.
After his withdrawal, Wolff was scraped from the team’s social media accounts. This led to widespread speculations of him being kicked out of the team for the next season. And Koepka confirmed the suspicions when he blindsided Wolff when answering a question about his team’s brotherhood in a presser earlier this week saying, “There’s only three of us on our team.”
🚨🐺🔫 #SHOTS FIRED — Brooks Koepka was asked about the “Brotherhood” of @SmashGC saying: “well, there’s only three of us on our team” leaving out the fourth member of Smash GC, Matthew Wolff. 👀 @TrackingKoepka
(Via: @ProGolfCritic)
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) October 14, 2023
Koepka’s public debasing of his team member does put his leadership under question, pointing to the fact highlighted by Wolff in his response earlier in July that things could’ve been handled differently.
“It’s not what a team member looks to hear from its leader,” Wolff added.
So, what does this mean for the team’s future?
Is Smash GC’s Future in Jeopardy
While the fate of the Saudi-funded league for the next season remains uncertain following the big merger, what is looking clear is the slim chances of Matthew Wolff being a part of the Smash GC team.
Wolff has managed to finish in the 24th place on the LIV points leaderboard, after his T-38 finish in Jeddah. This puts him outside the top 24, meaning that he can be traded or relegated from his team in the league’s off-season.
With the probability of Wolff leaving the team, Smaah GC has a tough road ahead. And while Wolff will be with his team competing in the team championship in Miami this week, Smash GC will have to work on its team dynamics and rapport if it plans to win the season ending championship anytime soon.
