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Collin Morikawa was nearly all smiles during a Friday round at the Players Championship in which he racked up nine birdies to put himself in contention heading into the weekend. The two-time major champ’s tone was a bit more serious after when he met with reporters at TPC Sawgrass.
Five days after Morikawa’s close call at Bay Hill, he’s still addressing his decision to leave the Arnold Palmer Invitational without talking to the media. And now the topic has come full circle—and then some.
First came criticism for not talking to reporters after his dramatic runner-up to Russell Henley extended a 16-month-plus winless drought. Then Morikawa gave his reasons for exiting that way on Tuesday ahead of the Players.
Yeah, just heated. Just pissed. Like I don’t owe anyone anything. No offense to you guys, but for me in the moment of that time, I didn’t want to be around anyone. Like, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t need any sorries. I didn’t need any “good playings.” Like, you’re just pissed.
Honestly, if it was an hour later I would have talked to you guys, but an hour later I was on my way out to here, because I didn’t want to be in Orlando anymore. But I just felt like I put everything I did into the, let’s call it, seven hours of my time being there, right, a few hours before showing up, physio, workout. Look, my entire routine, right. I was just drained.
I get it. Like you guys are there to figure out how we played and how things went, but in my perspective, like I just didn’t want to talk to anyone, and I think that’s fair to myself, you know.
But that led to even more criticism, in particular, from six-time PGA Tour winner Rocco Mediate, who addressed the situation on his SiriusXM show, The Rocco Hour, on Tuesday night.
“Biggest bunch of rubbish you could ever say, period. I mean, that is the dumbest, most selfish garbage you could ever say,” Mediate said in part. “Mr. Palmer would’ve hunted him down.”
Which leads us back to Friday. Morikawa answered a final question about his great round of 65—that has him at nine under overall and two shots behind co-leaders Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia after 36 holes—and then fired back at his critics, naming Mediate, along with Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley. Here’s the full exchange:
Q. The 5-wood chip, do you practice that? What went into deciding that that was the right play?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, that’s kind of been my play on courses like this where I’m kind of going up slopes, and yeah, for me I could have easily putted it, but it’s just something that I felt very comfortable with and might have had a little bit of speed, but it’s all right.
Then I just want to add one more thing. I might bite my tongue after saying this, but to the Brandel Chamblees, to the Paul McGinleys, to the Rocco Mediates of the world, I don’t regret anything I said. You know, it might have been a little bit harsh that I don’t owe anyone, but I don’t owe anyone.
I respect the fans. I’m very thankful for them. I’m grateful. It makes me emotional, but it’s just—it hurts to hear people say this, and especially you guys, because I finished the round and I went to go sign for 10 minutes, 15 minutes for all the people after. Not a single person from media went to go follow me because, I don’t know. But that’s me.
So for people to be calling me out is—it’s interesting. It just, it doesn’t show anything. I mean, look, I get what you guys are saying. But I was there. I was signing for every single person right after the round, whether they wanted it or not. I finished second. They could care less. But yeah, I’m going to leave it at that, all right? So thank you guys.
We’ll have to see if his critics will leave it at that. For now, there’s plenty of other stuff for everyone to talk about this weekend at the PGA Tour’s flagship event, including Morikawa trying to win a first Players Championship. If he does, he should have plenty to say.
Main Image: Supplied
