It doesn’t matter if the Augusta National fairways are firm and fast or slick and soggy, first-time Masters participant Matthew Wolff isn’t going to change his philosophy.
Wolff doesn’t have that TaylorMade driver stuck in his bag for its good looks. He plans to hit it. And he plans to hit it a lot.
“I’m going to play how I think I should play it,” Wolff said. “What I really like about (Augusta National) is it’s more of a course that you step up and know what you’re going to hit off every tee. It’s like almost every single hole is a driver.”
That’s an advantage for Wolff. In the 2019-20 season, he finished ninth in the PGA Tour in driving (311.6 yards in 74 rounds), 11 yards behind slugger Bryson DeChambeau. The ability to go deep could be particularly beneficial for Wolff this week if Augusta gets the sort of rain that’s expected.
“It’s going to play pretty soft, pretty long, and it’s supposed to rain, so the ball is going to even go shorter,” Wolff said. “I think that extra distance I have not only is going to help me off the tee, but hitting shorter clubs into the (green). Instead of hitting 6-iron into holes, I could be hitting 8-iron.”
Wolff admitted he would probably hit another club off the tee at No. 10 because of the way the hole is shaped, but that’s about it. Otherwise he’s prepared to pound away.
“You step up on No. 11 or No. 14 or any of those holes and you’re like, it’s always a driver,” he said.
Wolff said his intent is not to overpower the golf course – that’s the modus operandi for DeChambeau and his 48-inch driver. Wolff is just playing his game and length is a big part of it.
“For me, I’m going to stick to the way I know how to play,” he said. “It’s brought me a lot of success.”
Wolff left Oklahoma State after two seasons to turn professional in June 2019 and won the 3M Open a month later. He failed to win in 2020, but played well during in both majors – his first as a professional. Wolff tied for fourth at the PGA Championship and finished second at the U.S. Open, an even he led through 54 holes. Now he’s trying to become the first rookie to win the Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Wolff believes the more often he can get in contention, the better it helps his chances to win. In his first start after the U.S. Open, he lost in a playoff at the Shriners Hospital for Children Open. Even though he failed to win, he’s growing more comfortable in the position.
“If you’re constantly up there at the top of the leaderboard, you’re going to start getting more comfortable,” he said. “Obviously, the U.S. Open, I didn’t get it done and Bryson played really well. Just being in that situation over and over again, not only does it give you a lot of confidence in your game, but it also makes you a lot more comfortable in those situations.”
Wolff will need to get up to speed on the Augusta National greens. He even sought advice from two-times Masters champion Tom Watson, who encouraged him to spend a lot of preparation time on and around the tricky greens. Wolff compared them to the greens at Winged Foot, site of the U.S. Open, and Karsten’s Creek, Oklahoma State’s home course.
“That’s the one thing I hear over and over again is just how fast they get the greens, how slopey it is,” Wolff said.
Otherwise he’s just trying to enjoy the Masters experience without getting overwhelmed. Wolff expressed amazement at the sense of history on display in the clubhouse and throughout the grounds.
“There is not one expectation that has not been at least gotten to or exceeded. You don’t know what it’s like until you’re here,” he said. “For me it’s just to keep my head on straight and not get too far ahead of myself and stick to what I know,” he said.
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