Collin Morikawa has publicly refuted recent allegations suggesting that some PGA Tour players are circumventing driver testing protocols. These claims, initially raised by fellow golfer Lucas Glover, allege that certain players submit backup drivers for USGA testing while using different, potentially non-conforming drivers during competition.
People Joke About It, But Morikawa Doesn’t Think People Do it
Addressing the media ahead of the Memorial Tournament, Morikawa denied allegations about such cheating practices when he was asked about Lucas Glover’s claim that golfers cheat the USGA’s driver testing system. While on his podcast, Glover stated that some of the randomly selected players would provide their backup drivers for testing. This isn’t the first time Collin Morikawa and Lucas Glover have clashed.
“I don’t think people do that. I think people joke about it, but I don’t think people do it. And if they do, then, I mean, sure. Is it going to help? I don’t think it’s going to help,” Morikawa said. “When these fail, we’re on such fine margins that they give us this like green, yellow, red. Like we want our drivers to be in yellow, it’s passing, but it’s like, you want it to be fast, you don’t want it to be slow.”
Two weeks ago at the PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy’s driver was found to be non-conforming. He had to swap out the club head before play began. After the change, his performance off the tee noticeably declined, and he struggled throughout the tournament. On the other hand, Scottie Scheffler also had his driver fail testing, but he still won the event by five shots.
Earlier this year, Glover said that AimPoint putting should be banned, claiming it slows down the game. Morikawa, who uses AimPoint, responded by saying that long putters should be banned instead.
Glover is one of several players who use a long putter. But unlike AimPoint, the length of a putter doesn’t slow the game down. The newer AimPoint method clearly does.
Morikawa Downplays Widespread Cheating
Morikawa further downplayed the notion of widespread cheating, noting that while players might joke about exploiting testing loopholes, he doesn’t believe it’s a common practice. He remarked, “People joke about doing it, but I don’t think anyone actually does.”
This isn’t the first time Morikawa has been at the center of rules-related discussions. During the 2023 Masters Tournament, a video clip showing him adjusting his ball marker sparked online speculation about a potential rules violation. Morikawa clarified that the ball had moved due to natural causes after he had marked it, and he simply replaced it according to the rules. He stated, “Yeah, the ball moved, and then I moved it back. Pretty standard now. Pretty routine in our rulebook, thankfully.”
Main Photo Credit: © Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
