Brooks Koepka Should Be Ashamed Of Himself

Opinion Article by Derek Clements

Brooks Koepka should be ashamed of himself. During his much-documented struggles with injury he received a great deal of support and sympathy from the world of golf. 

How quickly he forgets. It has emerged that in an interview he gave to Sports Illustrated that he heavily criticised his LIV Golf teammate Matthew Wolff.

Wolff said it was heartbreaking to learn what Koepka had said about him, all the more so because they are members of the same LIV Golf team. And to rub salt into the wounds, Wolff found out through the media. If Koepka had an issue with him, he should surely have sat down with Wolff.

Koepka told Sports Illustrated it was "very tough to have a team dynamic when you've got one guy that won't work" and that he had "given up" on Wolff.

Wolff is 25th in the LIV's player standings, while their Team Smash are seventh out of 12 teams. Before defecting to LIV, Wolff went public with the mental health issues he had been enduring.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

"I read the interview with our captain Brooks Koepka and it was beyond disappointing to me," said Wolff. "When I chose to join his team in 2023, I did so with much optimism about my new home as part of Team Smash and equally as important the chance to be around and learn from a player of Brooks' stature.

"Like everyone who has ever played the game at the highest level, I have had competitive moments in the past that I feel I have let myself down and even others in our new team environment.

"This has been quite difficult for me. My challenges on and off the golf course with my mental health has been well documented. I deal with those challenges every day."

Wolff pulled out of an event in Washington in May after completing the first two of his three rounds.

"I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that's not competing," said Koepka.

In a statement responding to Koepka's criticism, Wolff added: "While my 2023 season has not been all I had hoped for to this point, I have made positive strides in managing my life and feel like my game is turning for the positive.

"To hear through the media that our team leader has given up on me is heartbreaking. It's not what a team member looks to hear from its leader, and I think we all know these comments should have been handled much differently."

LIV players compete as individuals but remain part of a dozen four-man teams in the 54-hole competition.