With no expectations, Wolff starts strong at Wells Fargo
Matthew Wolff ’s last two competitive rounds were an 81 and a 78 at the Masters, where the 23-year-old long hitter finished behind every 60-something past champion in the field. He played a casual round at his home club a few days ago and lost every ball in his bag.
Beware the golfer with nonexistent expectations.
Playing with freedom and joy, Wolff bogeyed the par-5 second hole at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm but was flawless from there, shooting an opening-round 65 on Thursday to share the early lead at the Wells Fargo Championship.
“I can go out and shoot 90 tomorrow and as long as I have a good attitude, 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 right now,” Wolff said. “To be honest, it’s funny, but I’m not here to win a golf tournament, I’m here to have a good time.”
Joining Wolff atop the leaderboard were local favorite Denny McCarthy and two PGA Tour rookies from England, Aaron Rai and Callum Tarren. K.H. Lee, Nick Watney and Adam Svensson each shot 66. Rory McIlroy, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 7, was two shots back after an up-anddown 67.
Wolff won his third professional start after leaving Oklahoma State three years ago and finished second in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. With his prodigious length and unusual, herky-jerky backswing, he seemed the archetype of a new generation that cared more about results than aesthetics.
Until the results evaporated. Wolff has been frank about his struggles with mental health, the pressure and expectations he felt trying to keep up with Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland as a face of golf ’s future.