WORKDAY CHARITY OPEN

July 8, 2020

Matthew Wolff

THE MODERATOR: Matthew Wolff, thank you for joining us here at the Workday Charity Open and making the time to join us for a little bit. Obviously a great finish last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, runner-up there, played some exceptional golf. It had been a little while since you'd been in the mix. Can you just go through that experience of what it was like to be back in there.

MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, it was a great feeling. It has been quite a while. I feel like I was working on a few things in my game, more physically than mentally, but was just trying to work on a few things, like I said, and wasn't really coming along, felt a little uncomfortable out there for a little while, and I kind of just had a realization kind of after the whole quarantine that I felt like I was trying to do too much, and I talked to my coach George and a couple people at TaylorMade and just said I need to go back to what I did in college, and what I did best in college was not only just not really try to do anything different and just work with the little baby draw that I always hit and not try to like shape shots differently just because I feel like the PGA TOUR requires that. But then also just the mindset that I had going into last week was the same one that I had when I won, and it was more of whatever happens happens, don't be thinking about the outcome before it even happens.

I had more of a -- it's not that I don't care, but I kind of told myself to not care as much, and what that did is it helped me free up and hit the shots that I normally do and not be worrying about any bad shots or missed putts or anything like that. It was nice to be back in that mix, but I feel like I've been working on the right things for a while, and it seems like I'm feeling really confident with my game mentally and physically. Hopefully I can carry it on for the next couple weeks and won't be once a year, it'll be once every couple weeks now.

THE MODERATOR: It sounds like the quarantine was a good reset for you. This is your first tournament here at Muirfield Village. I know you've been here in the past, but this is your first tournament. What are you looking forward to when it comes to actually playing on the golf course?

MATTHEW WOLFF: I played yesterday, and I had been here last year for the Jack Nicklaus Award, so I have been here before, but I think what I'm just most excited about Muirfield is how good of a course it is. It's just like a real golf course. I feel like there's a little bit of everything. There's good driving holes, there's -- you have to be good on your approach shots. Around the greens is a test, and I feel like putting is another thing that the greens are so pure, but they're definitely sloped a lot. It seems like there's not one part of your game that can be lacking out here, and it really rewards players who feel like they play best on harder golf courses because the golf courses that we played the last few weeks are great golf courses, but just based off scores over the last few years and just stats and everything like that, this course is definitely harder and rewards better ball-striking. So I'm excited to play that and see -- maybe not shoot 2- or 3-under and get lapped.

Q. With the break that you had and you have a shortened schedule now, the temptation to put more pressure on yourself because everything means more, it's compressed, how do you kind of deal with that, the mental side of that? Could you discuss that?

MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, I mean, it definitely -- we missed a big chunk of the season, so it was a little difficult to get over that because with all the tournaments coming up now, we have limited time. If you didn't play that well at the beginning of the season you don't have as many tournaments to make that up or I guess not vice versa, but I feel like one thing that I told myself heading into last week is just not really be okay with any outcome. Whatever happens happens, and I feel like I've said this a thousand times, but it's more I just told myself to not really care as much. I love the game. I always want to play as well as I can. But when I say I don't care, it's not that I actually don't, it's more just getting myself in the right frame of mind in order to not put that extra pressure on myself to play good week in and week out or hit that shot that is going to help me make the cut or going for a green on a par-5 with water short. It's just not putting that extra pressure on any part of my game at any time of the week, and I did that really well last week, and when I won, as well. It was just -- I feel like I've learned since I've been out here to -- I'm going to hit so many golf shots. I'm going to play so many tournaments in my career that I really don't need to be stressing about one single tournament or one single golf shot because there was a good chance for me to win last week and Bryson played really well, but I feel like I'll be in that position a lot in my career, so it was just a good learning experience knowing that playing in the final group with a lead, next time I'll probably feel more comfortable and then the time after that -- and so on and so forth.

But that's the one thing that -- to answer your question, I really feel like I'm trying to take the pressure off myself by not trying to look for results or have any expectations for myself but to just go out, have fun, play golf and do my best but not care about what happens.

Q. Mark mentioned you being at Muirfield last year and meeting Jack Nicklaus. What was that like for you?

MATTHEW WOLFF: Oh, it was unbelievable. He's one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest. I'm not going to have that argument right now. But I think that it was -- you know, how he's affected the game, just with the way he played it -- he's a legend. And I think so many people looked up to him, and meeting him and getting the Jack Nicklaus Award was unbelievable.

I think that a lot of people hear a bunch of good things about him, but to finally meet him and talk to him and see all he does for not only the golfing world but outside and everyone else, his charity or anything like that, how he affects other people is pretty heartwarming, and I wish that I could have that same effect on people as he does when I'm older.

Q. I know there's never one reason for really low scoring, but through the first, whatever, four events it's been really low. You go 64-64 and finish runner-up. What's your take on what's going on out there?

MATTHEW WOLFF: I think just the weather has been unbelievable the last five weeks or four weeks, I guess. You know, the courses have been -- they've been in really good shape, but I think the biggest part is the weather. It seems like it really hasn't been windy at all for any of the events, and you know, these courses -- some of its defense is wind. RBC you're playing on the water. You know, it's a really good golf course, but if the wind swirls and blows, especially with the tree lines, that makes it a couple shots harder a round maybe.

And then Travelers was the same thing. There's some holes with water on the back nine that wind can definitely cost you a couple shots there, and it definitely separates the field a little bit, too.

But at the end of the day, I think this course is going to do that just because it is such a -- it's a real golf course. There's going to be rough. Greens are going to be firm and fast. There's trouble on a lot of the holes, and it definitely rewards good ball-striking.

I'm excited to play this week. I feel like this is the first course that we've played since the return that is really -- tests every part of your game to its extreme, and I think it's only going to be harder next week, but I think this week is -- this golf course is no joke, and it's shown by the scores in the past of not only the people that have won it but the scores that have won it, as well.

I'm excited, and it's in really good shape. Maybe if the wind dies down, maybe the scores will be low again, but I'm not sure.

Q. And unrelated, you're a guy that because of your swing and you're on camera a lot, does that ever get under your skin? I know there's a hot topic right now, guys feeling like they're too much focused on them. Where do you stand on that? Are you aware of it?

MATTHEW WOLFF: Maybe sometimes. I feel like I'm definitely -- I like to please people. I feel like sometimes that honestly affects me and how I play because I'm worried about what people think about me and my swing and stuff like that. The last couple weeks, I've kind of tried to have that mindset of not caring what other people think, not caring about the results, just doing what I do best and play golf. Last week it obviously worked pretty well.

I think I'm still learning. I'm still new out here, and maybe with fans it's a little different because you notice the cameras more, but I feel like I'm getting pretty good at not caring about what other people say or think or just playing my game. I feel like my results speak for themselves. I know that I haven't had the most consistent -- I haven't been the most consistent player out here, but I'm looking to change that and feel like I'm working on the right things mentally and physically to be more consistent and contend a lot more.

Q. Just curious, is there a shot that you wish you could have back from Sunday? And what, if anything, do you think you could have done differently?

MATTHEW WOLFF: I really wouldn't take any shots back. You know, the only one is -- the only one that might have stung a little more, I guess, was the three-putt on 9. I feel like that was kind of -- I birdied 7 and then didn't hit a good wedge on 8 and then gave the birdie on 7 right back with a bogey on 9 and then was a little frustrated going into 10. Hit a decent drive that just creeped into that bunker and then got a really bad lie in that bunker.

But I feel like I really -- it's part of the game. I feel like I kind of channelled the frustration and the anger that I had for making those bogeys and those unforced errors, and that's kind of what led the run on the back nine that I played so well.

It is what it is. You know, Bryson played really well. 65 on that last day was a great score with those pins and how the greens kind of got a little beat up and firm. I just didn't really get off to the best start, and my mental game probably wasn't as strong as I thought it was or it was in the beginning of the week. But it's something to learn and take from, and I feel like when I'll be in that position next time, I can be in a little better spot mentally or not let things affect me as much.

Q. Also I know you haven't really played many majors yet, but have you developed your own strategy yet of whether you like to play the week before them or do you like to have a week off and not be kind of tired? Do you prefer to come in with some momentum or do you think you'll be the type of player like Tiger who likes to take a week off?

MATTHEW WOLFF: I feel like I really like playing. I'm a very good confidence player, so when I string together a couple good tournaments or feel like I've put some good rounds together, I feel like that's when I play my best. So to answer that question, I probably would like to play the week before, make sure that I'm not too tired, though. If I come off a stretch of three and then have a major in a couple weeks, I'm probably not going to play that week because then that would be five in a row. But I really do like playing. I feel like the things that I'm working on in my swing and my game are very small things, and right now I feel really good with every part of my game. So there's no really point of trying to take a week off and practice that even more. I think the more rounds I can put up and the more experience I can have playing and shooting low scores would probably help me in a major situation.

But like you said, I've never played one, so I'm excited to play the PGA coming up soon, and I guess we'll see how that goes, and maybe I can learn from what I did prior to that and working up to that tournament.

Q. What was the level of your frustration as you neared your defense at 3M of not really being back in contention since then?

MATTHEW WOLFF: I don't know if it was frustration. It was more just I didn't feel like I was letting others down, but I felt like I was kind of letting myself down. I felt like I was working on a lot of things and trying to find stuff that I didn't really need to find after 3M. I played really well at 3M and then I made the cut at John Deere, and then I think that off-season I was kind of working on a few things, trying to straighten out my ball flight and do some things like that, and I just really didn't need to do that. I needed to stick with what I knew and how I played and keeping everything simple, making sure to have confidence in myself and not driving myself crazy with thoughts over the ball or before a shot or anything like that.

But a lot of people would say I'm in a slump or were in a slump, but I feel like I definitely made a lot of cuts. It's not like I was missing every single cut that I played in. So it's hard to -- it's hard out here. Every single week you're playing a different course, different grass. The guys are so good. I was still making cuts, still trying to compete, and I missed the last couple but then came in second. I just feel like I'm not really going to listen to what anyone has to say about being in a slump or my swing or anything like that, and stuff that I've had to learn since I've been pro, but I feel like I've done pretty well at blocking everything out and I'm definitely going to keep on doing that.

Q. You talked a little bit earlier about the course. As you know, Muirfield is a Jack Nicklaus-designed course. What is it about one of Jack's courses that suits your game or that you like?

MATTHEW WOLFF: I played 18 yesterday, and I think the biggest thing is that he's pretty generous off the tee. Maybe not so much the fairways aren't wide, but you're not going to be -- you're not going to get penalty strokes off the tee. It's more if you put the ball in the fairway, you're going to have a lot better chances to make birdies, whereas other courses there's a bunch of water off the tee or there's OB and stuff like that. So he doesn't penalize you so much off the tee strokes-wise, it's more if you put yourself in position off the tee, then you can have a lot better chances to go after pins, whereas, like I said, it's more open off the tee, but the greens are a little smaller than I remember watching on TV. Again, I've never been -- I've only been here one time and played it one time. So the greens are a little smaller than I remember, but they're kind of sectioned, so putting the ball in the fairway is a important, and Jack Nicklaus was an unbelievable ball striker, and I think that kind of -- it kind of shows by this course and how he designed it because I think ball-striking is going to be a key to this week, and if you look at people who have won here in the past, no matter what the conditions are, they're kind of people who tend to rely on their ball-striking and are better than most or above average in that category.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Matthew. We appreciate your time. Have a great week at Workday Charity Open.

MATTHEW WOLFF: Thank you. I appreciate it.

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