After a stretch of high scores and frustrating results, Matthew Wolff produced a round at LIV Golf Greenbrier on Friday more reflective of his immense talent: a nine-under 61 that ties the LIV-record low.
But after taking a two-shot lead after the first round on The Old White course, the young Smash GC star said his low score was not any kind of statement, nor a reflection of any drastic change in his approach.
“I just go out here and I give it my best every single day. It’s golf,” Wolff said. “It’s a rollercoaster, and I’m learning to accept the good and the bad as they come and roll with it. I haven’t changed anything.”
The numbers certainly were different for Wolff. In his last three LIV Golf starts, he failed to break 70 and averaged 74.6 per round. His best points finish in that stretch was 44th in Andalucía.
On Friday, all that changed. Starting on the par-three 8th, he opened with a birdie, added two pars, then produced a four-hole stretch that included three birdies and an eagle. He then ended his round with three birdies in his last four holes.
The 61 is the fourth in LIV Golf history, tying the 61s shot by Branden Grace, Cameron Smith and Harold Varner III in Tulsa. Varner shot seven-under 63 on Friday to join David Puig as Wolff’s closest pursuers.
South African Dean Burmester and Cameron Tringale are another stroke back after shooting 64. Burmester’s bogie-free round included six birdies.
Louis Oosthuizen carded 65, Branden Grace 66 and Charl Schwartzel 68.
Wolff looked more like the player who started the season with three consecutive top-12 finishes than the one who hasn’t scored points in the last six events and dropped to 27th in the season-long points standings. Only the top 24 at the end of the regular season, as well as team captains, are guaranteed spots for next year’s LIV Golf League.
“Everyone goes through slumps, everyone goes through bad times, and I’m lucky mine only lasted a few tournaments,” Wolff said. “I started off the year really good, and I’m looking to end it really good.”
Wolff’s low round also helped Smash grab the team lead at 19 under, with captain Brooks Koepka and Jason Kokrak each contributing five-under 65s. Koepka is making his first start since the birth of his son last week.
Smash, currently seventh in the season-long team points, is seeking their first win of the season. Koepka’s team leads by four shots over Torque GC, Stinger GC and RangeGoats GC.
Varner, who won LIV Golf DC, the last LIV tournament held in the United States, is as focused on his team’s success as much as his own. He desperately wants to catch the league-leading 4Aces GC, who come off a win at London and are in sixth after Friday’s first round. The RangeGoats are currently third, just two points behind second-place Torque GC.
“We need to win,” Varner said after his bogey-free round. “An integral part of winning is playing well, so I’m just trying to play well and help the team as much as possible – and seven unders will do that.”
For Wolff, nine under is just the kind of round that could prove to be a turning point for a season that has gone awry lately. But he cautioned Friday that there’s no guarantee.
“It’s just golf,” Wolff said. “I mean, you play bad and then you play good. Like I said, I’m accepting the fact that just because I played well today, it might not go the same tomorrow or might go just as well.
“At the end of the day, I’m doing what I can and trying to shoot the lowest score I can every day. I promise, I’m trying.”
