Fun, and his game, have returned for Matthew Wolff heading into Houston Open

Earlier this year, Matthew Wolff dreaded facing a new day.

Now when he hits the sheets, the sunrise can’t come fast enough.

The 22-year-old, who won his lone PGA Tour title at the 2019 3M Open a month after turning professional, has emerged in a much better place after dealing with mental health issues that led him to take two months off starting last April after he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard at the Masters.

Wolff hasn’t been shy in talking about his struggles to find a happy place once again, to have fun playing the game again, to lighten the stress load. As he said, the grind of playing professional golf had taken a toll on his state of mind and game and he needed to get away.

Now he’s back to being a chipper Wolff.

“I wake up in the morning and I’m excited to get out here,” Wolff said Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s start of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course. “I’m excited to work on my game and tighten up the things I need to tighten up and see everyone, say hi and stuff.

“Like last (season) it was just, it was a little difficult. Just wanted to stay in bed and work on my game not in front of the world. Going through that and experiencing that, it definitely gave me a better understanding of who I am and everything about me as a person and me as a golfer.

“I wasn’t too happy when I went through it, but it definitely was the best thing for me, and I think I’m in for some really good golf and just enjoying myself a lot more out here.”

He’s certainly enjoyed the start of the new season. In his three starts, he’s tied for 17^th in the Sanderson Farms Championship, was tied for the lead with nine holes to play before finishing solo second in the Shriners Children’s Open, and tied his career-low round when he opened with a 61 in last week’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba en route to a tie for fifth.

He’s signed for just one over-par score in his dozen rounds this year, and he’s been bogey-free in four of his last eight rounds. After dropping to 44^th in the official world ranking last season, he’s up to 31^st.

Much of the success is due to a tweak to his setup. The rest is due to his head-on battle to overcome bothersome troubles.

“I think at the end of last (season), or the majority of this spring, I really didn’t play too well, and it was definitely a struggle for me, but I think I’ve learned a lot from that,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m happy that I went through it, but I think at the end of the day, I’m glad and it’s made me a better player.

“At the end of the day, I think the most important thing for me is I’m not too worried about my game anymore. I’ve worked with my coach and battling through that rough time taught me a lot of stuff about my swing and my game, so I have a better understanding about who I am as a person and my swing than I ever have in my life.”

Wolff said his confidence levels are “super high,” especially after using his driver – one of his best weapons – just twice last week on the tight course in Mexico and still being in the thick of the title chase on Sunday. It helps to be able to hit a 3-wood as far as most players. But he’ll get to use his big dog a lot more this week at Memorial Park, a track Wolff said seems to be a bomber’s course.

“I have a lot more room to hit driver and use that length as an advantage,” said Wolff, who is making his first start in the event. “I feel really good with every part of my game right now. So I don’t know if that’s going to happen this week, but I feel really excited to play a golf course that sets up well for me and should be fun.”