Matthew Wolff

Wolff grew up in Agoura Hills, California, started playing junior golf at the Lake Lindero Country Club's Lindero Kids Summer Sports Camp, and attended Westlake High School. At the same time, had a brief baseball career as a standout shortstop who played on a 12-and-under travel team that wound up competing for a national title in Cooperstown, New York. But Wolff felt bad any time he let his team down, which led him to pursue golf. The same athleticism that made him a stud leadoff hitter, shooting guard and quarterback allowed him to create ridiculous clubhead speed and power. Self-taught, he experienced near-immediate success at the junior level, so he didn't bother tinkering. Wolff's family didn't have the resources to join any club, so he played public courses around his home in northwest Los Angeles. While playing high school golf, he met George Gankas, who remains his swing coach. Gankas helped him but did it in a manner in which he didn't overhaul his natural swing that had proven successful.
Wolff finished runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, losing 1-up in the 36-hole final to Noah Goodwin. Competed for the victorious U.S. side at the 2018 Palmer Cup. After initially committing to play college golf for the University of Southern California, Wolff withdrew his commitment to attend Oklahoma State.
Played two seasons there, where he was a two-time, first-team All-American and two-time, first-team All-Big 12 selection. Won the individual title at the 2019 NCAA Championships and the Fred Haskins Award as the nation's most outstanding player as a sophomore.
2019 Notes: Was given a sponsor exemption to play in his first PGA Tour event at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Didn't disappoint as he shot 67 in the opening round to be T-11th. Finished 70-72-72 to place T-50th. Wolff had a great sophomore season, topping it with his NCAA individual title. Two days after taking home the Fred Haskins Award, he turned professional, knowing he had a club contract with TaylorMade and some sponsor exemptions, the first at the Travelers Championship. He made the cut, shooting 70-68, but when he shot 74 was eliminated when the field was cut down. His T-80th got him his first check of $12,888 and 1.95 FedExCup points. He got into the Rocket Mortgage but shot 75-68 to miss the cut. The next week he got into the 3M Open, again on a sponsor exemption, and this time he hit paydirt. With rounds of 69-67-62-65, including a 26-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole, he won the tournament by a stroke over Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa. He became a PGA Tour member, eligible to play in the FedExCup playoffs with the victory. Became the seventh player to win in his fourth career start or earlier. Became the first player since Jordan Spieth at the 2013 John Deere Classic to win on the PGA Tour before his 21st birthday. Only eight previous wins in PGA Tour history came at a younger age. He became the first sponsor exemption to win since Billy Hurley III (2016 Quicken Loans National) and the third player to win the individual title at the NCAA Championships and a PGA Tour event in the same year, joining Ben Crenshaw and Tiger Woods. He played in one FedExCup playoff event, finishing T-71st at the Northern Trust. In eight starts, he made seven cuts with one top-10 and finished 74th in the FedExCup standings.
2020 Notes: Played in 21 PGA Tour events, making 16 cuts with two top-10 finishes. In the FedExCup standings, he was 35th. T-11th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions was his best finish before the COVID-19 break. Was 2nd at the Rocket Mortgage, three strokes behind winner Bryson DeChambeau. In his first major start at the PGA Championship, he shot four rounds under par, 69-68-68-65, to finish T-4th, three strokes behind winner Collin Morikawa. With his four under-par rounds, he joined Woody Austin in the 1995 PGA Championship and Andres Romero in the 2006 British Open as the only three players who shot four under-par rounds in their first major. In the FedExCup playoffs, results included a T-44th at the Northern Trust and T-18th at the BMW Championship.
2021 Notes: Played in 20 PGA Tour events making 13 cuts with two top-ten finishes. Was 71st in the FedExCup standings. At the 2020 U.S. Open, shot a 66 at Winged Foot in the first round to become the first player to be under-par in his first five major championship rounds. The streak ended with a second-round 74, but Wolff held a two-shot lead after the third round. He ended up finishing 2nd, six shots behind Bryson DeChambeau, who shot a final-round 67 while Wolff had a 75. At the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Wolff finished T-2nd, losing along with Austin Cook on the second playoff hole when Martin Laird made a birdie. At the Farmers Insurance Open, Wolff withdrew following a first-round 78, citing a hand injury. It wasn't apparent on which swing he injured his hand, but he was shown on camera slamming his club into the turf in frustration. He played the next week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and finished T-36th, then T-64th at the Genesis Invitational. At the WGC-Workday Championship at the Concession, he shot a first-round 83 and withdrew, giving no reason for the withdrawal. He didn't play again until the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and didn't make it out of group play. After a first-round 76 at the Masters, he signed an incorrect scorecard and was disqualified. After missing the cut at the Zurich Classic team event, he had enough, he wasn't enjoying the game anymore and decided that for the sake of his mental health it was important for him to walk away from golf for nearly two months. He returned to play in the U.S. Open, opened up with rounds of 70-68 to be a shot behind the leaders, and after ending with 73-74 finished T-15th. In the FedExCup Playoffs missed the cut at the Northern Trust.
2022 Notes: Finished 2nd at the Shriners Children's Open, becoming the first player since Charley Hoffman at the 2019 and 2021 Valero Texas Open to finish runner-up at the same event twice in a row. Extended his streak of scores in the 60s at TPC Summerlin to a perfect 12-for-12. Opened with a 61 at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and held a two-shot lead after each of the first two rounds before finishing T-5th, seven shots back of winner Viktor Hovland. Went into the final round a shot back at the Houston Open but shot a final-round 72 to finish T-11th, six back of winner Jason Kokrak.