LIV Golf champion opens up on 'lopsided' trade after Kopeka teammate fallout
Talor Gooch has jumped to the defence of fellow LIV Golf star Matthew Wolff, after the pair were involved in one of the very first trades on the breakaway league.
Gooch enjoyed a year to remember in 2023, winning three times on the LIV setup before being crowned individual champion in Jeddah in October. Remarkably his RangeGoats captain Bubba Watson opted to trade out the newly-crowned champion in the recent offseason.
Gooch will defend his 2023 crown in Smash GC colours next year, after joining five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, whilst Matthew Wolff went the other way.
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The trade was questioned by many, especially from a RangeGoats point of view. Watson had given up arguably LIV Golf's most prized possession in Gooch in exchange for a man who finished with just two top-10's and 27th in the standings in Wolff.
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Addressing the move, Gooch admitted that with Wolff still only 24, it does make sense for Watson to take a gamble on the out-of-form star. He told LIV Golf's Fairway to Heaven podcast: "Usually you don't want to sell a stock when its low, usually you went to sell a stock when it is high.
"Usually you then don't want to buy a stock when it is high, usually you want to buy a stock when it is low. As Bubba [Watson] is wanting to build his team for the future, Wolffie is a world class talent... Matt Wolff is seven years younger than me. This is a guy that he can build around for a long time.
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"Yes, on paper it may seem lopsided, but when you kind of dive more and more into it starts to make more and more sense." For Wolff the decision would have been any easy one, having endured a tough season with Smash both on, and off the course.
In July, his former captain Koepka remarkably took aim at the 24-year-old after he withdrew prior to the final round of LIV Washington DC in the summer. Koepka claimed he had 'given up' on his teammate Wolff, who he labelled a 'wasted' talent in an explosive interview with Sports Illustrated.
In the aftermath Wolff responded, admitting he had been left 'heartbroken' with his captain's words, whilst opening up on his personal mental health battles away from the golf course. Wolff continued to compete alongside Koepka for the remainder of the 2023 campaign until his offseason trade earlier this month.
Despite his struggles Wolff clearly has the backing of his new captain, with Watson issuing a glowing report of the 24-year-old following his recent move. "When you think about it, Matthew Wolff, he's 24," the Rangegoats skipper commented.
"He was give or take top 15 in the world at some point. He was in that group with [Collin] Morikawa, Victor Hovland. I believe in Matt I, tried to get him two years ago when I joined the league, I tried to get him last year when Brooks got him."
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