Collin Morikawa admits he was looking for some “chaos” from fans at the recent Ryder Cup. What the crowd delivered was something next level.
Asked if he takes any blame for the hostile attitude fans of the United States team had for players from Europe, Morikawa put some context to the matter Wednesday in advance of his appearance at this week’s Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama, Japan.
“I think we’ve taken what I said a little out of context,” Morikawa said when asked if he felt any ‘responsibility’ for fan behavior in New York. “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.”
The United States got off to a slow start in their attempt to unseat Europe as Ryder Cup champions and were defeated despite making a stirring comeback during Sunday’s singles matches.
While the play on the course was filled with classic Ryder Cup drama, much of what was discussed after the competition ended was the unruly fan behavior toward some of Europe’s top players, especially Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy.
“So I don’t think, you know, me saying one word, everyone listened and then (issues started),” Morikawa said. “I don’t think I have the power to do that amongst people. I think fans can do and say what they want sometimes. 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.”
Morikawa’s United States teammate Xander Schauffele also is in Japan this week, and while he did not ask for boisterous fan behavior, he did accept some responsibility for not giving American fans what they came to see.
“Yeah, 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.”
The Ryder Cup will be played in Ireland in 2027 then return to the United States in 2029 just outside of Minneapolis. Morikawa hopes there will be lessons learned from this year’s event moving forward.
“I think that’s 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,” Morikawa said. “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.”
