Rory McIlroy hits a tee-shot on the first hole during the opening round of the Players Championship 2025 at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday. Photo: Ben Jared/Getty Images
Collin Morikawa could not get out of Orlando fast enough after coughing up a three-shot lead with five holes to play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He rushed to his car, and got an early start on his two-hour drive north to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where The Players is this week. But he declined to speak to the media after his defeat, leaving many to wonder what went wrong down the stretch.
Morikawa finally addressed it during his Tuesday press conference at TPC Sawgrass. “Just heated, just pissed,” Morikawa said when asked why he didn’t. “Like I don’t owe anyone anything. No offence 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 pissed.”
