On Sunday, Brooks Koepka exited LIV’s Jeddah event the same way that he did a year ago: as a champion.
But before defeating Talor Gooch in a two-hole playoff to win LIV’s 2023 individual title, the always outspoken Koepka continued his criticism of Smash GC teammate Matthew Wolff.
With LIV’s Team Championship taking place this upcoming week in Miami, Koepka, was asked on Saturday to describe his feelings about his team, which includes his brother Chase, Jason Kokrak and Wolff.
“There’s only three of us on our team,” Koepka said. “I mean, obviously, my brother, I’m pretty tight with him and then — I’ve enjoyed being around Jay [Kokrak] for the last — I’ve been pretty close with Jay for maybe the last three years.
“I’ve enjoyed being around him. He’s a good player, super talented. It’s been fun to be around him, and he’s played pretty solid this year. Yeah, I can’t say anything bad about him.”
It’s one thing for Koepka to praise his relationships with both his younger brother and Kokrak, but to say that there’s only “three of us on our team” takes his war of words with Wolff to another level.
As a refresher, the beef between the two LIV teammates began earlier this year when Koepka questioned Wolff’s work ethic, going as far as to say that he had given up on the 24-year-old, and that “the talent’s wasted.”
“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that’s not competing,” Koepka said. “I’m not a big fan of that. You don’t work hard. It’s very tough. 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, who had varying success on the PGA Tour, has been candid about his mental health issues over the years, with many believing that the move to LIV could serve as a fresh start.
But the former Oklahoma State star hasn’t been able to find his form with Smash GC, and recently finished 27th in LIV’s individual season standings, meaning he’s at risk of losing his spot in the league unless he has a contract.
The most recent comments from Koepka aren’t likely to inspire much confidence in Wolff, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens next.
