Only a few days ago, Collin Morikawa had turned into the biggest villain on the PGA Tour. His actions after a disappointing loss in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational saw him receive a lot of criticism. Ever so close to breaking his winning streak, Morikawa had a major slip-up in the final round as he gave up the lead in the Signature event to Russell Henley. The frustrated Californian couldn’t face the heat after the huge blunder and decided to skip the post-tournament interviews.
Morikawa’s actions received a lot of criticism from the community. Even Brandel Chamblee jumped into the conversation, stating how the 28-year-old “will regret” his actions.
But Collin Morikawa seems to have finally received some support from a fellow PGA Tour pro. And it’s none other than the much-loved Irishman, Rory McIlroy. In a pre-tournament interview before the Masters Tournament, McIlroy was asked about the incident involving Morikawa. The 28x PGA Tour winner said, “Well, he’s right. Not that I think he could have worded it a little bit better, but look, every other athlete, whether it be in the NBA, NFL, they’re obligated to speak to you guys after a game. We’re not. Whether that’s something that the PGA TOUR looks to in terms of putting that into their rules and regulations, but as long as that’s not the case and we have that option to opt-out whenever we want, expect guys to do that from time to time.”
McIlroy is not wrong as the athletes are supposed to prioritize their mental peace over what the media wants from them. They have the choice to “opt-out” if they are not in the best frame of mind to present themselves in front of the journalist after a tough loss. During the same press conference, Morikawa was also questioned about his opinion on everything that happened. He replied, “Look, I said it in my second media thing. I could have said it differently. But I stand by what I said. I was in the moment. We talk about giving people space to be who they are, and at that time, it was for me to be who I was, and I didn’t want to be around anyone. I didn’t even want to be around my wife. I said hi to her after, we hugged, and I just went straight to the locker room.”
Seems like he was in no state of mind to interact with anyone after losing the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Maybe him not giving interviews after the loss is much better than what he would have said if he had stood in front of the media.
This is a developing story…
The post Backed by Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa Doubles Down in Pros vs Media Feud: ‘I Stand By What I Said’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.
