LIV Golf R2: Wolff continues to stick it to Koepka as McDowell misses tiny putt
Matt Wolff continues to prove Brooks Koepka wrong, while Graeme McDowell misses the shortest putt of all time on LIV Golf.
Matt Wolff continued to keep his foot on the gas and stick it to Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka as he remained in a tie for the lead on day two at LIV Golf Greenbrier.
Wolff, 24, caught the headlines a week before the 151st Open Championship when Koepka said he was 'done' with his 24-year-old teammate.
Koepka absolutely ripped into him.
Wolff would only offer one statement in the immediate aftermath of that criticism, suggesting Koepka's words were 'heartbreaking'.
He's still on Koepka's Smash side as he was unable to find a trade with another team on the Saudi-backed tour during a season break.
But whatever Wolff has been working on over the last few weeks has seemingly paid off after two rounds at the famous Greenbrier site, formerly of the PGA Tour in West Virginia.
“I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now, I’m really proud of the work I’ve put in”
Joint for the lead, @matthew_wolff5 tells us how his mindset has helped his game so far in Greenbrier#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/cLdy3yPciX— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 5, 2023
Wolff may have slipped out of the outright lead on day two but he still owns a share of it with Spain's David Puig, who fired a superb round of 65.
The American made five birdies and two bogeys in a round of 67 to remain in top spot on 12-under par alongside Puig.
After his round, Wolff said: “I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now, I’m really proud of the work I’ve put in."
England's Richard Bland and in-form American duo Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch are hot on their heels at 11-under par.
Gooch, who is certainly in the running for one of Zach Johnson's US Ryder Cup team picks, is going for an incredible fourth win of the season.
The American went one better than Friday with a 64 on Saturday, and he has impressively not yet made a bogey all week.
DeChambeau, another with US Ryder Cup team credentials, went crazy low with a stunning 61.
It could have been lower, too.
Bryson had 59 on the mind...#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/cUPNU0e8sc
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 5, 2023
South Africa's Branden Grace, Chile's Mito Pereira and Americans Harold Varner III and Brendan Steele are a further stroke back on 10-under par.
Despite taking a number of hits from his captain in recent weeks, Wolff currently finds himself seven strokes clear of Koepka who looks on from down the field on 5-under par.
Graeme McDowell finds himself a further stroke behind Koepka on 4-under par, though he should be matching Koepka's tally thus far after missing one of the shortest putts ever seen in LIV Golf history in the second round.
McDowell signed for another 68.
WATCH G-MAC'S SHOCKER HERE:
Sticking with the one-handed method for the second putt is stones pic.twitter.com/xiXkmbhRF8
— Alex Perry (@byAlexPerry) August 5, 2023
In the team event, Joaquin Niemann's Torque GC hold a commanding four-stroke lead heading into the final round.
Koepka' Smash GC find themselves eight strokes off the pace in a tie for fourth.
LIV Golf Greenbrier R2 Leaderboard
-12 M Wolff (US), D Puig (Spa)
-11 R Bland (Eng), B DeChambeau, T Gooch (US)
-10 B Grace (SA), M Pereira (Chi), B Steele, H Varner III (US)
Selected others:
-7 C Smith (Aus)
-6 I Poulter (Eng)
-5 B Koepka (US), L Westwood (Eng), S Garcia (Spa)
-4 G McDowell (NI), P Reed (US)
-3 P Mickelson (US)
-2 D Johnson (US)
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