Collin Morikawa has defended his outburst at a reporter. The 28-year-old did not take kindly to what a reporter wrote about him the day before and gave him a piece of his mind during his media duties at the Rocket Classic. He has now doubled down on his outburst and insisted he was right to defend himself to stop the media from unfairly criticizing him.
“I have to stand up for myself because I’m not going to let someone throw little jabs at me and just make me into someone I’m not.”
Collin Morikawa followed up on his exchange with a reporter during his pre-tournament press conference at the Rocket Classic. pic.twitter.com/wuYcADZjJr
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) June 26, 2025
Morikawa Strongly Disagrees With How He Was Portrayed
Morikawa expressed his displeasure after reading an article that, he believes, portrayed him in a negative light. The article suggested Morikawa made the media wait two and a half hours before speaking to them, implying that he was dismissive or avoiding questions. Morikawa strongly disagreed with how the reporter portrayed that interaction and clearly expressed his feelings during his pre-tournament press conference.
The 28-year-old believed the writer took his words out of context and made him appear disrespectful to the media. He explained that he was spending time with his pro-am partners, people who had paid a lot of money to play alongside him, and that showing them attention and respect was important to him.
This controversy comes at a time when Morikawa’s performance on the course has also been under scrutiny. The former PGA Championship and Open Championship winner has not had a top-ten finish in his last five events and is still searching for his first win since the Zozo Championship in October 2023. Adding to the pressure, Morikawa recently parted ways with his caddie, Joe Greiner, after only five events together. For this week’s tournament, his close friend KK Limbhasut is carrying the bag, but no decision has been made yet about who will be on the bag for The Open Championship next month.
Morikawa Says He Had To Stand Up For Himself
Morikawa has come in for criticism in some quarters, with many of the opinion that he took the issue too far by giving the reporter a public dressing down. But Morikawa insists he was well within his rights to do so. The two-time major winner also made it clear that he is not willing to let the media shape the public’s view of him unfairly.
“You know, at a point you can only follow so much and you have to stand up for yourself,” he said. “…I have to stand up for myself because I’m not going to let someone throw a little jabs at me and just make me into someone I’m not. Because I know who I am and that’s all that matters. I know my people, my team, my family know who I am. But this whole perception out there right now it’s just, it’s a little ridiculous…”
Main Photo Credit: © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
