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3 hours ago
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Though he called for “absolute chaos” ahead of time, Collin Morikawa isn’t taking the blame for the behavior of American fans at the Ryder Cup last month.
Morikawa, two days before the Ryder Cup kicked off at Bethpage Black in New York last month, said he hoped that “Friday is just absolute chaos” in a call to rile up American fans — which is something that’s often encouraged at the biennial event between the United States and Europe.
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But by the end of the weekend, it was clear that fans at the iconic Long Island course took things too far. European players, especially Rory McIlroy, were subject to plenty of abuse throughout the weekend from fans. The event’s emcee joined fans in a “F**k you, Rory!” chant on the microphone, which she later apologized for, and extra security was brought out to try and keep the peace. At one point, a beer was even launched at McIlroy and his wife, Erica.
Obviously, Morikawa said Wednesday at the Baycurrent Classic in Yokohama, Japan, that wasn’t what he meant.
“I think we've taken what I said a little out of context,” Morikawa said. “I think Ryder Cups are meant to have a lot of energy, right, and I think me saying the word ‘chaos,’ I didn't mean for them to be rude, right? So like, that's not on me, I believe for me to take credit for people being rude.”
Morikawa went 0-2-1 at Bethpage Black. He tied his singles match with Tyrrell Hatton, which gave Europe the half point it needed to officially win the cup back. Shane Lowry sank a putt at the 18th to tie his match with Russell Henley two groups ahead of Morikawa, which allowed Europe to retain the cup and stop the United States' comeback attempt. The continent has now won the Ryder Cup nine of the last 12 outings.
“I think fans can do and say what they want sometimes,” Morikawa said. “It probably crossed a line out there. It wasn't in my groups, but definitely what people were hearing. So I would say yeah, there's a line that needs to be drawn, I believe.
“But I think that's what's so different and unique about golf is that we hear nearly everything [that] people say because people have access to be so close to us. You look at a lot of other sports, you don't really hear much. Things are said, but golf has that different aspect to it. So I think you have to learn how to find that division of what's appropriate and what's not.”
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Morikawa has won six times on the PGA Tour in his career. He had a pair of runner-up finishes in 2025, though his last victory came in 2023 at the Baycurrent Championship back when it was called the Zozo Championship. He’ll enter play on Thursday at No. 9 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Morikawa’s Ryder Cup teammate, Xander Schauffele, is also in the field this week in Japan. He echoed Morikawa’s sentiments about the fans at Bethpage Black. Though he didn’t get the brunt of the abuse, Schauffele definitely felt it himself.
“There were some unsavory things said at certain times,” Schauffele said. “You know, I really wish we could have played better to have them cheer for us a bit more. New York's a tough place to play for anyone. I even got a few comments to play better. I'm not taking much personally when it comes to sort of what fans say.”
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