Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy both stiffed the media after tough losses within the last calendar year, and they defended their decision to do so.
Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy haven’t exactly made friends with the media this week ahead of The Masters.
After a tough loss at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Morikawa opted not to speak with the media. Days later, he said he did not “owe anyone anything.”
“No offense 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 just p—ed,” he said at the time.
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The conversation returned at Augusta National Tuesday, and Morikawa defended his stance.
“I could’ve said it differently, but I stand by what I said. I was in the moment,” Morikawa said Tuesday in Augusta. “We talk about giving people space to be who they are, and, at that time, it was for me to be who I was. And I didn’t want to be around anyone. I didn’t even want to be around my wife. Like, I said ‘Hi’ to her after, we hugged and I went straight to the locker room.”
Morikawa then offered his take on the situation.
“In that aspect, there needs to be a balance and an ebb and flow between everything. I do want to be here for you guys,” he said. “But here’s the thing: I’ve been in the top five in the world before, and people don’t come up to me and ask me questions. You guys, you can’t just ask me [questions] when I’m playing well. Like, you guys should be asking the top 10 players every single week, every single day, and just document it.
“Then you get a sense of who we are, and you get a flow of how that comes to be. So, there’s a balance. If you guys don’t want to ask me, it’s not my job to go out and tell you my story. Sometimes it is, but you do that through social media. You do that through playing well, winning tournaments. But not everyone’s like that. So, that’s why I don’t get this whole, you know … I stand by what I said.”
Rory McIlroy did the same as Morikawa after his collapse at the U.S. Open last year and noted Tuesday that golfers are not required to speak with the media.
“Well, he’s right,” McIlroy said. “Look, every other athlete, whether it be in the NBA, NFL, they’re obligated to speak to you guys after a game. We’re not. Whether that’s something that the PGA Tour looks to in terms of putting that into the rules and regulations. But, as long as that’s not the case, and we have that option to opt-out whenever we want, expect guys to do that from time to time.”
The Masters, which McIlroy and Morikawa are both aiming to win for the first time, tees off Thursday.
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