Morikawa on Fan Behavior at the Ryder Cup
Collin Morikawa, a renowned golfer, has expressed his opinion on the behavior of American fans during the recent Ryder Cup, admitting that certain attitudes “crossed the line.” However, the athlete does not consider himself responsible for having exacerbated the atmosphere. Prior to the start of the tournament at Bethpage Black, New York, Morikawa had expressed his desire for the first day to be “absolute chaos”. During the three days of competition, the European players suffered insults and derogatory comments from the fans. Booing was recorded while they were preparing to hit the ball and even the throwing of beer in the direction of Erica, Rory McIlroy’s wife, was reported. This behavior generated widespread criticism.Morikawa, speaking before the PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic in Yokohama, Japan, a tournament he won in 2023, stated that he doesn’t believe he has the ability to incite American fans by “just saying a word.” The golfer pointed out the importance of establishing clear boundaries in the behavior of fans, recognizing the particularity of golf in terms of the proximity between players and the public.I think Ryder Cups are made to have a lot of energy, right? And I think by saying the word “chaos”, I didn’t mean they were rude, right? So that’s not up to me, I think, to be credited with people being rude. I think what I meant was that I wanted energy, right?
Collin Morikawa
