Collin Morikawa is among the field for the Rocket Classic this week, but it is once again his comments off the course that have been attracting attention.
Speaking at The Players Championship earlier this year, Morikawa said he doesn’t ‘owe anyone’ after ignoring his media duties following a near miss at the Arnold Palmer Invitational shortly before.
Brandel Chamblee thinks Morikawa could have spoken better regarding his controversial comments, which didn’t go down well with many.
And his outspoken approach has now continued ahead of the Rocket Classic, when the two-time major champion was asked if he knows who will caddie for him at The Open Championship following his split with Joe Greiner.
Responding directly to Golfweek’s Adam Schupak in his pre-tournament press conference in Detroit, Morikawa replied: “I don’t. And I read your article that you wrote. Look, I’m not here to tell people how to do their jobs, but I don’t get why you would make me sound bad because you put out my quote that I was playing with pro-am partners out front.
“Those guys are paying a lot of money, they’re very important to the community, they’re very important to the Rocket Classic, and for you to put out a quote like that to put me down and saying, hey, wait two and a half hours, I mean, you called me up on the first tee, you know? I’m not going to tell you how to do your job, you can write whatever you want, this is America, but don’t put me down like that because it’s two and a half hours, Adam.”
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Ryan Lavner has now shared his reaction to the comments, saying on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex & Lav: “I think that Collin Morikawa is clearly sensitive to how he has been portrayed over these past couple of months, as sort of the poster child for a player who is stiff-arming reporters in the media, stemming from what happened on Sunday at Bay Hill.
“It is easy to look at that as an isolated incident and a player who is clearly steamed because he just kicked away the tournament and he does not want to talk to reporters or anyone at that point. That happens all year long and in every other sport.
READ MORE: Collin Morikawa admits he’s driven himself ‘crazy’ as he suggests what his dip in form all comes down to
“LeBron James does not talk after every single loss. If he has a bad game, something goes in on the wire, he will sometimes blow out of there before reporters get to the locker room. This happens in every sport all year long.
“So I sort of understand what happened there with Collin Morikawa. What people forget is that two days later at The Players Championship we asked Collin Morikawa a dozen questions about his inability to close out tournaments and he was terrific.
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“He was introspective and thoughtful about it. He wasn’t rude. Yes, he made the comment that he does not owe you guys anything but he was still sitting there in the press conference and answering all the questions.
“I think he is pushing back against this perception that people now have about him and I think it’s fair and he’s understandably p—– that this is how he’s being portrayed.”
How close has Collin Morikawa come to ending his PGA Tour win drought?
The angry comments from Morikawa arrived after he was allegedly asked by Schupak for a caddie update on the first tee of the Rocket Classic Pro-Am despite the player saying he would share any news in his press conference later in the day.
The American certainly isn’t the only player on the PGA Tour to be involved with media scuffles in recent times.
Five-time major champion Rory McIlroy has had his fair share of run-ins, often leading to him completely ignoring his media duties.
READ MORE: Rocket Mortgage Classic 2025: Tee times, where to watch, purse, and everything you need to know
Both players would undoubtedly rather focus on their games and not on such distractions, although McIlroy has managed to achieve huge success despite his issues with the media.
He boasts three PGA Tour victories this season, notably completing the career grand slam at The Masters.
Morikawa in contrast is still searching for his first win of the season, and indeed his first since the 2023 ZOZO Championship.
Collin Morikawa had a tense exchange with a reporter at today’s press conference over reports about his most recent caddie switch. pic.twitter.com/kJIuYSqLhs
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) June 25, 2025
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But he has come very close to ending that drought this season, finishing second at both The Sentry and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The American suffered the same fate at this week’s event not long ago, finishing T2 with Adam Hadwin as Rickie Fowler won the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The three players all finished on 24-under at Detroit Golf Club two years ago, with Fowler emerging victorious via a playoff.
