Team USA’s Collin Morikawa has defended comments he made regarding fan behavior in the build-up to last month’s Ryder Cup, stating his words were taken “a little out of context.”
The 28-year-old later went on to remark that he wanted fans to “go crazy” during tournament days so that Team USA could use the home crowd’s energy to their advantage in trying to win back the Ryder Cup.
He said: “Yeah, Whistling Straits, there was still a little bit of Covid. We had a crowd but it wasn’t as big as what they say it’s going to be here.
“I’ll be honest, I think it’s kind of tame so far, Tuesday and Wednesday. I know tomorrow is going to be pretty bad but I hope Friday is just absolute chaos. I’m all for it. I think it feeds into who we are and the American players and the American Team. We want it. Like we want to use that to our advantage.
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“I think every sport uses their home crowd to their advantage, and just because we don’t play in a setting like this doesn’t mean the craziness of New York and the rest of the country that people are traveling in from, it doesn’t mean that we can’t use that to our advantage.
“I think we really have to tap into that. I hope they come strong. Watching all these kids, I know they want autographs, but come Friday, I hope they go crazy.”
However, most people – including Morikawa – agreed that the actions of certain sections watching on in New York significantly crossed the line in terms of what is acceptable.
Rory McIlroy, in particular, was subjected to a torrent of abuse throughout the week while he and his wife, Erica, even had beer thrown over them at one point.
There were also several instances of shouting while players were stood over the ball and unsavoury comments directed at a number of other European golfers, leading McIlroy to criticize the overall standard of behavior post-event.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Speaking ahead of this week’s Baycurrent Classic on the PGA Tour, which is being held in Japan, Morikawa was asked by one reporter whether he felt fan behavior “crossed the line” at…
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