From being in the lead and close to victory to tasting defeat, it made quite a difference for the American professional, Collin Morikawa. If you have been following golf for a while now then you are aware that the six-time PGA Tour winner has gotten agonizingly close to victories quite a few times. But as luck would have it, he never closed. Now that’s bound to brew up some frustration and recently how the golfer handled it has caused quite a stir.

Let’s circle back a little. At the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational, Morikawa was leading till the 16th hole, but the great eagle chip from Russell Henley changed the leaderboard. Prior to this came his runner-up finish at The Sentry. And it was the second disappointment of the season for the golfer, which left him feeling particularly frustrated. The result? He chose to skip the media interactions. But during the press conference at THE PLAYERS after snubbing the media, he explained his move, saying, “It might have been a little bit harsh that I don’t owe anyone, but I don’t owe anyone.”

Now for his move, the panel on Golf Channel has discussed and criticized his move, especially Brandel Chamblee. Discussing the painful loss, Chamblee pointed out how Jack Nicklaus had 19 runner-up finishes and was interviewed after every heartbreaking loss. Further, he said, “A sense that there’s an entitlement that they don’t owe anybody anything, and he voiced what a lot of people suspected. Too many tour players felt it’s not true of all of them. A lot of them are great with the media and give us these interviews afterward.” As the statement of Morikawa pointed out, taking the names of Chamblee, Paul McGinley, and Rocco Mediate, and saying, “I don’t regret anything I said,” is a bit much.

Even continuing ahead on the show, Chamblee respected his opinion and shared a prediction for his future. He said, “He will regret it if he carries on touring down the media after he loses because he’s good, he’s going to have many more wins too, but it’s just part of the game.” Well, the golfer has largely had to embrace losses after his last win at the Zozo Championship, as till now he has had 4 runner-up finishes and no wins. The frustrating phase of the golfer could be easily seen now with his performance and his moves after the matches.

But with his frustration, many prominent names have been vocal about his move.

Golf world on Collin Morikawa’s snub

After the golfer pointed out the top names, he said, “Not a single person from the media went to go follow me because I don’t know. But that’s me. So for people to be calling me out is – it’s interesting. It doesn’t show anything.” As per the 28-year-old, after his loss, he signed autographs for hew fans but the media didn’t follow him there. However, it has been plenty highlighted that he chose to skip the media interactions.

Now, after Chamblee’s take, McGinley has also voiced out his concern as well, saying, “It’s like most things in the media, 98 percent of what we say is so positive about the players.”

He even said, “We [Brandel Chamblee and I] made a comment on it that we felt that he had a duty, bearing in mind the huge amounts of money they play for now and also the importance of media in the game. You have a duty to, even if it’s a small soundbite.” Even McGinley has pointed out that many top names, including Tiger Woods, have always given interviews irrespective of the result.

But his move of not giving the interview after the loss is widely criticized and despite his great career, the golfer has been seen negatively by the golf world. What are your thoughts on his actions? Is it right according to you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.