SAN DIEGO – Think about Matthew Wolff nine months ago: Millionaire, hotshot 21-year-old, bona fide superstar. When he strolled onto the first tee of the 2020 U.S. Open, staked to a 54-hole lead, gunning for history, he was chatting animatedly on the phone. He wasn’t getting last-minute advice from his swing coach or sports psychologist. No, that’s not his style. He had called up one of his buddies. He wanted an update on the early slate of NFL scores.
That innocence of youth has largely disappeared after what has been a forgettable 2021 both on and off the course.