PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa has joined a slew of professionals who disagree with Rory McIlroy on the state of digital golf media and where the sport is headed
Collin Morikawa has discussed the growing YouTube golf video trend(Image: Getty Images)
Collin Morikawa disagrees with Rory McIlroy when it comes to golf’s embrace of social media.
The sport has been constantly growing on digital platforms, whether it’s Bryson DeChambeau “breaking 50” with NBA stars or Good Good Golf announcing their partnership with the PGA in November — and some are liking where it’s headed.
“I kind of float on both sides, like I said, I don’t watch that much, so it’s not like I’m buying into it either. Like it’s to me, they’re very different styles of golf,” Morikawa told the Fore Play podcast.
He added that playing in a four-round event is very different than participating in challenges for views on YouTube, which Morikawa first encountered with Grant Horvat in July.
READ MORE: Travis Kelce and brother Jason get paid vast amount for ‘New Heights’ podcastREAD MORE: NBA icon who was involved in biggest canceled trade ever announces retirement
“I think when I have opportunities to play with you guys and everything, it shows who I am a little bit more.”
During the challenge, Morikawa mentioned he is sometimes portrayed as the “scary guy” in the media, but noted that challenges allow people to access a different side of the golfer they are used to watching behind a television screen.
McIlroy mentioned his opinion on YouTube golf earlier this year
“You don’t really get to see that when we’re out there, whether it’s a Ryder Cup or it’s a normal event, Morikawa continued.
”It’s a very different mindset. Not for the better, for the worse, just how we act in things, right? I don’t think people see it like that’s the nature of us, and that’s the competitive side.”
Other athletes have also talked about how much they enjoy golf on social media, including NBA legend LeBron James, who took to Twitter on November 13 and said, “I love watching YouTube golf videos!! Random I know. lol. SO COOL!”
Max Homa agrees with James and Morikawa. “If you could get one more kid into the game just playing, that’s like a win,” he told Tooms Golf during a YouTube video.
READ MORE: Pat McAfee encourages Oregon coach to ‘take pants off’ live on College GameDayREAD MORE: Oregon mascot makes ‘6-7’ plea after crashing College GameDay broadcast
“It’s so much easier to consume this than it is to sit for a kid than to sit and watch even two hours of golf on TV.”
Others, however, aren’t fans, and that includes career grand slam winner McIlroy. With no bash to YouTube creators, McIlroy admitted in March that he’d “much rather watch pure competitive golf than watch YouTube golf.”
As the trend grows, many professional golfers have started their own channels, including DeChambeau, who has gathered over 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 2.1 million followers on TikTok.
Tommy Fleetwood also started his own channel ahead of the 2025 U.S. Open.
