What are the cheating allegations against Collin Morikawa? Video claims and golfer’s response

Collin Morikawa is known for his calmness while playing on the golf course. He always keeps himself away from controversies. Unfortunately, he still landed in hot water during the first round of the 2023 Masters.

The American golfer sparked a debate on social media after a video clip went viral on the internet that showed him changing the ball's position on the sixth hole of the Augusta.

Fans spotted him moving his marker forward and then changing the position of the ball before hitting it. The video sparked a heated debate on social media, with fans branding Morikawa a cheater and pleading with officials to penalize the golfer for breaking the rules.

However, once the full video was made public, the heated debate quickly came to a new conclusion. In the clip, Collin Morikawa was preparing for his shot and the ball moved from its original position. The PGA Championship winner rolled the ball to its original position.

Morikawa asked his playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick about the rules and his permission with the placement. After talking with Fitzpatrick, he also made sure to shift the ball to the original position.

If Collin Morikawa had been found guilty, he could have faced a two-stroke penalty, but Sky Sports commentator Paul McGinley confirmed that the officials investigated the case and gave the golfer a clean chit.

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"Ball moved as I addressed it" - Collin Morikawa replies to the cheating allegations

Fan account Nuclr Golf posted a full video on their Twitter account, with the caption saying:

"Morikawa on the ball marking Twitter storm: “Yeah, the ball moved, & then I moved it back,” he said. “Pretty standard now. Pretty routine in our rules book thankfully.” When told about it going viral, he said “Good. Bring that PIP up. Blow me up, guys.”

Collin Morikawa reshared the video and clarified on social media that he did not cheat. In his defense, the former Open Championship winner tweeted:

"Here’s the full video…Ball moved as I addressed it, so I threw the coin down in no specific place, replaced the ball to the original spot and then moved my marker to the original spot (from where I threw it). I play by the rules, I promise."

Collin Morikawa finished in the 13th position in a four-way tie alongside Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Rose after the opening round of The Masters. He started the first round with a birdie on the second hole.

He birdied the seventh hole and then made two consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th holes. With one bogey on the 13th hole, Morikawa finished with a score of 69. He will start the second round five strokes behind the opening-round leaders.

The first round of the Masters was completed on Thursday, April 6, and the second round will take place on Sunday, April 9. Interestingly, three golfers took the lead after the tournament's opening round. Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, and Brooks Koepka shared top positions on the leaderboard.