Rory McIlroy Asserts PGA Tour Pros Owe Nothing to Golf Media After Collin Morikawa Sparked Hot Debate

Remember that time at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational when Collin Morikawa was as close to his first win since October 2023 as he could be? The two-time major champion was leading by three strokes with five holes to play at Bay Hill. But fate didn’t seem to be on his side in the final stretch. The result? He finished second to Russell Henley. He was upset, as any of us would be in that case. And, as a result, declined to speak to the media after the game and, at The PLAYERS, said he didn’t “owe anyone anything.” This ignited a fire in the media, and another Tour pro joined in the conversation.

Rory McIlroy is currently active at Augusta National for the upcoming Masters Tournament, and he was recently seen at the Masters press conference. So the interviewer mentioned two incidents, one of Morikawa and another of McIlroy, and asked: “The conversation after something like that in comparison to other professional athletes, golfers can be a little more sensitive. I’m wondering if you think that’s a fair or unfair assessment.”

Rory McIlroy decided to stand by his fellow Tour golfer. He answered, “Well, he’s right. Not that I think he could 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 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 isn’t wrong, however. For instance, in the NFL, players must speak to the media for 10-15 minutes after games. Marshawn Lynch once ignored this rule and was fined $1.2 million. During the 2015 Super Bowl XLIX, he infamously responded to every question with, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” Cruel? Indeed it is. However, the Tour doesn’t mandate this for its players. While it makes sense to give the players space to let out the stream, it also means they can ignore the questions they don’t want to answer. We don’t know what will happen later, however, take a look at why this question was posed to Rory McIlroy.

Something similar happened during last year’s U.S. Open incident with Rory McIlroy. Then, the golfer had just lost his chance at his fifth major win against LIV golfer, Bryson DeChambeau. Angry, he burst out of the course and refused to talk to anyone. Will it happen again at this Masters? We will see. However, it is likely this McIlroy comment will start a new debate in the media. But ask McIlroy, and he is concerned about something else.

Rory McIlroy is trying to block of “noises” ahead of the Masters

“It’s just narratives,” McIlroy began at the press conference at Augusta National. “It’s noise. It’s trying to block out that noise as much as possible. I need to treat this tournament like all the other tournaments that I play throughout the year. Look, I understand the narrative and the noise, and there’s a lot of anticipation and buildup coming into this tournament each and every year, but I just have to keep my head down and focus on my job,” Rory McIlroy added. However, the attention on Rory McIlroy makes sense. He is, arguably, in one of his best forms, having scored two wins before the Masters Tournament. It is something that he has done for the first time in his career. Besides that, if McIlroy manages to continue his strong performance at Augusta National, he will be able to achieve something that no golfer swinging at the 2025 Masters can compete against: achieving his career Grand Slam.