Collin Morikawa admitted the behavior of American fans at the Ryder Cup “crossed the line” but does not believe he was partly to blame for inflaming the atmosphere.
Two days before the Ryder Cup started at Bethpage Black in New York, the two-time major winner said he hoped the opening day was “absolute chaos.”
Over the course of three days, European players were subjected to abuse from the galleries, including frequent insults and snide comments, jeering while players were preparing to take a shot and going so far as to see a beer thrown in the direction of Rory McIlroy’s wife, Erica. The behavior was widely criticized, with PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague apologizing to McIlroy and the rest of the European team.
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Morikawa said Wednesday that the fans went too far but denied any responsibility for contributing.
“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. I think what I meant was like I wanted energy, right?”
The PGA of America added extra security around the matches as tensions grew through the three-day Ryder Cup, which Team Europe won after withstanding a final-day charge by the Americans in the singles matches.
Morikawa was speaking ahead of the PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic — which he won in 2023 — in Yokohama, Japan. He said he didn’t believe he had the power to incite the U.S. fans by “saying one word.”
“I think fans can do and say what they want sometimes,” he said. “It probably crossed a line out there, so I would say there’s a line that needs to be drawn. But what’s so different and unique about golf is that we hear nearly everything what people say because people have access to be so close to us. I think you have to learn how to find that division of what’s appropriate and what’s not.”
PA contributed to this report.
