Rory McIlroy has adopted a different stance to Sky Sports pundit Paul McGinley on the recent controversy surrounding Collin Morikawa. American golfer Morikawa came under scrutiny for refusing to give interviews straight after letting his lead slip at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month.
Players are not forced to speak to the media under PGA Tour rules, and Morikawa came out swinging in response to his critics, saying: “I don’t owe anyone anything.” Former Ryder Cup captain McGinley was not best pleased with that, and he called on players to do more for the viewing audience ‘as custodians of the tour’.
“TV is a huge part [of the sport] and it’s the duty of the players and journalists to acknowledge that and be part of it,” he told bunkered.co.uk. “It’s dangerous for the business of golf.
“It’s really important that the players are aware of their obligations and remember they are custodians of the tour. At the moment it’s optional, maybe it needs to become an obligation or a rule because it’s not going to help the game if players start [avoiding media] more regularly.”
Rather than stand firm with McGinley, who captained him at two Ryder Cups, McIlroy has defended Morikawa’s right to skip media duties under the current regulations.
“Well, he’s right,” said the Northern Irishman. “Not that I think he couldn’t have worded it a little bit better, but look, every other athlete, whether it be in the NBA, NFL, they’re obligated to speak to you guys [the media] after a game. We’re not.
“Whether that’s something that the PGA Tour looks to in terms of putting that into their 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.”
McIlroy is also guilty of skipping media interviews after a painful tournament result, having done so at last year’s US Open. The 35-year-old could not bring himself to face the cameras after missing two short putts on the back nine and losing the title to Bryson DeChambeau by a single stroke.
This week’s Masters will give McIlroy another opportunity to end his 11-year wait for a major. McIlroy has finished inside the top 10 no fewer than seven times without clinching a green jacket, including a painful second place in 2022 and an outright fourth in 2015.
