"Injured Tiger Woods would be better than you" - Fans react as Collin Morikawa defends asking for 'chaos' at Bethpage

PGA: Ryder Cup - Final Day - Source: Imagn
Fans react as Collin Morikawa defends asking for 'chaos' at Bethpage - Source: Imagn

Collin Morikawa drew backlash online after defending his pre-Ryder Cup comment about wanting “absolute chaos” at Bethpage Black. The American golfer admitted that fans “crossed the line” during the event but denied that his words fueled the hostile atmosphere.

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Speaking ahead of the 2025 Baycurrent Classic in Yokohama, Collin Morikawa said his remarks were taken out of context.

"I think we've taken what I said a little out of context. 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?,” Morikawa explained.
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His comments come after widespread criticism of American fans at Bethpage, where European players were heckled and subjected to personal insults. The situation escalated when a beer was thrown toward Rory McIlroy’s wife, Erica, prompting an apology from PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague.

A post shared by NUCLR Golf on X featuring Collin Morikawa’s remarks sparked a wave of reactions from fans.

One fan wrote:

“Injured Tiger would be better than you.”
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Another said:

“Morikawa’s a young guy who will someday learn to think a little more before speaking in public..An example of something he probably would like to restate: I don’t owe anything to anyone..”

A third user criticized the American team’s silence over the crowd behavior:

“It’s really weird & disappointing how passive every American player and representative have been towards this situation. We have the video evidence of what was said and done, it crossed every line where Rory and his family were concerned. It’s not hard to condemn bad behaviour.”
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Another bluntly stated:

“Get Morikawa off Ryder Cup teams.”

One wrote:

“This clown should focus on his game and shut his trap. A wise man would deflect discussing the RA after getting bludgeoned in back to back sessions. Clueless Primadonna”

Another user chimed in:

“every time this dude talks i like him less and less”
A screenshot of Fan reactions on NUCLR Golf's post (via X)
A screenshot of Fan reactions on NUCLR Golf's post (via X)

Collin Morikawa, who won the Baycurrent Classic in 2023, said he didn’t believe his comment alone could have provoked the U.S. fans.

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"I think fans can do and say what they want sometimes. 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," he said.
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The PGA of America had increased on-site security as tensions built through the three-day event, which Team Europe won 15–13 after holding off the Americans in the Sunday singles. Collin Morikawa, who was a captain’s pick for the U.S. side, went 0–2–1 in his third Ryder Cup appearance.


When will Collin Morikawa tee off at the Baycurrent Classic?

Collin Morikawa will start his Thursday round at the Baycurrent Classic at 7:35 am ET from the first tee, playing alongside Chris Gotterup and Hideki Matsuyama. Here are the revised tee times for Thursday (all times ET) following adjustments due to Typhoon Halong:

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First Tee

  • 5:45 pm – Beau Hossler, Max Greyserman, Naoto Nakanishi
  • 5:56 pm – Bud Cauley, Nicolai Højgaard, Takanori Konishi
  • 6:07 pm – Karl Vilips, Si Woo Kim, Gary Woodland
  • 6:18 pm – Kurt Kitayama, Emiliano Grillo, Taylor Moore
  • 6:29 pm – Ryan Gerard, Joe Highsmith, Keith Mitchell
  • 6:40 pm – Garrick Higgo, Matt McCarty, Kevin Yu
  • 6:51 pm – Mark Hubbard, Sam Stevens, Takumi Kanaya
  • 7:02 pm – Alex Smalley, Sami Välimäki, Kota Kaneko
  • 7:13 pm – Satoshi Kodaira, Rasmus Højgaard, Ren Yonezawa
  • 7:24 pm – Min Woo Lee, Nico Echavarria, Adam Scott
  • 7:35 pm – Chris Gotterup, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa
  • 7:46 pm – Aldrich Potgieter, Austin Eckroat, Matt Wallace
  • 7:57 pm – Sam Ryder, Isaiah Salinda, Taiga Kobayashi
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10th Tee

  • 5:45 pm – Matti Schmid, Patrick Fishburn, Kazuki Higa
  • 5:56 pm – Joel Dahmen, Eric Cole, Ryo Ishikawa
  • 6:07 pm – William Mouw, Billy Horschel, Max Homa
  • 6:18 pm – Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Alex Noren
  • 6:29 pm – Sungjae Im, Michael Kim, Keita Nakajima
  • 6:40 pm – Ryo Hisatsune, Michael Thorbjornsen, Taiga Semikawa
  • 6:51 pm – Patrick Rodgers, Danny Walker, Kaito Onishi
  • 7:02 pm – David Lipsky, Vince Whaley, Mikumu Horikawa
  • 7:13 pm – Mac Meissner, Kevin Roy, Riki Kawamoto
  • 7:24 pm – Sahith Theegala, Lee Hodges, Byeong Hun An
  • 7:35 pm – Brian Campbell, Davis Riley, Tom Kim
  • 7:46 pm – Camilo Villegas, Andrew Putnam, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
  • 7:57 pm – Rico Hoey, Max McGreevy, Tatsunori Shoge

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar
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