Brooks Koepka criticised by Matt Wolff insider for public shaming the young golfer in July: “They could’ve done that privately”
Brooks Koepka has been severely criticised for the poor handling of his fallout with young golfer Matt Wolff. Both golfers play on the LIV Golf series and are a part of the Smash GC. In July, Koepka went all out with a harsh rant against Matt Wolff, that left the golf world in shock.
Brooks Koepka lashed out against Wolff's committment to the team and went as far as to claim that the 24-year-old's talent on course has been wasted. Needless to say, Wolff was rather heartbroken by the situation. He replied to Keopka saying that he always went out on course to give it his all.
Needless to say, this criticism was not received well by the golf community. Two months later, and now Brooks Koepka and Smash GC have been bashed by George Gankas for the way they handled things.
“They could’ve done that privately. There were some incidents where Wolff possibly wasn’t playing as hard as he could and he called him out on it and, you know what, in my opinion, as much as anybody doesn’t want to hear it, I don’t think it should have been done publicly," Gankas said via Mirror UK.
Brooks Koepka and Matt Wolff's falling out brings about conversation on mental health
When Koepka lashed out at Wolff, he did not hold back at all. He did not appreciate the fact that Wolff quit the round, and felt that he was not putting in any effort.
"I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that's not competing. I'm not a big fan of that. You don't work hard. It's very tough. I've basically given up on him—a lot of talent, but I mean the talent's wasted.”
Matt Wolff responded to Koepka's comment, highlighting his struggle with mental health issues and facing pressure on course. Expressing his disappointment in Koepka, Wolff said he always gives it his all and tries to perform for the team, his mental health is important as well.
"My challenges on and off the golf course with my mental health has been well documented. I deal with those challenges every day. 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."
This incident also sparked a conversation about mental health in pro athletes, a topic which has become an increasingly important one to talk about and adress.