The Ryder Cup has long concluded, and the likes of Rory McIlroy & Co. are focused on the DP World Tour playoffs. But Team U.S. members are still discussing the events of Bethpage as they can’t seem to let go of the defeat. Only a few days ago, Keegan Bradley admitted that he might never get over it. And now, Collin Morikawa has brought up the topic again to talk about the misconception surrounding Team U.S.’s dynamic.

Morikawa joined the crew of Fore Play Podcast Plus to talk about the Ryder Cup. That’s when he was asked about the chemistry of the American dressing room. Morikawa told the hosts, “I think that’s where the media goes in the wrong direction. They might call ‘The Euros are all best friends and they go do stuff together.’ No one hates each other in our team room! We’re all mixing up our dinner tables. That’s where people who don’t watch golf, who then want to tune in for a week and a half, take it.”

As Morikawa mentioned, the Team U.S. members also share great chemistry. The likes of Scottie Scheffler & Collin Morikawa are known for being good friends. They have displayed that in the course and across a few TaylorMade videos. After pairing with him in the Presidents Cup, the world #1 also gets along well with Russell Henley. Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, & Ben Griffin all get along well with each other and everyone else in the squad. And despite being a part of LIV Golf, Bryson DeChambeau showed that he is enthusiastic about collaborating with fellow American teammates at Bethpage. But the media still targeted them, including Morikawa.

“I got called out for asking for chaos from the fans from the Ryder Cup. Like, I’m the reason why people were saying ridiculous things.” On the Friday of the Ryder Cup, Morikawa requested the fans to bring “absolute chaos” on the course. That was followed by the abusive chants led by Heather McMahan against Rory McIlroy. Since then, the 28-year-old has been clearing the air that he didn’t mean for them to create havoc. Morikawa also stated that he doesn’t hold that much influence to drive the fans.

The 2-time major winner also added, “It’s nice to have the consistency and all that. This year, it was great because we all went to Napa, and we all hung out. Not that we needed to. But it just brings everyone together because, like you said, to throw everyone together for one week is a lot harder, even if we all know each other. Half the guys I’ve known for over half my life. That’s just the nature of what we do.”

Unlike Team Europe, the Americans lacked consistency. And that led to their downfall at Bethpage. They may have been performing on home soil, but they didn’t have the momentum or confidence to carry themselves to the win. Nearly every member was on the course, either playing or watching the Procore Championship. But rumors like Patrick Cantlay was causing a divide in the team & they had turned into a ‘boys club’ were circulating in the media.

Hence, many of them already had a lot on their plate mentally to prepare for the challenges they might face against Luke Donald’s squad in New York.

The mental pressure to perform at Bethpage did get a little overbearing for some of the Team U.S. players at Bethpage. But was that the reason they went from being the dominant home side to a team full of problems? Let’s find out.

Top Stories

Wyndham Clark Takes Accountability for U.S. Open Backlash He Faced After Locker Room Outburst: ‘Deserved’

Caitlin Clark Becomes the Answer to LPGA’s Biggest Concern Ahead of Her Pro-Am Appearance

Collin Morikawa Disapproves of Golf Practice That Justin Thomas Wants All Pros to Adopt Immediately

Jim Furyk Urges Tiger Woods to “Dip a Toe” Into Senior Circuit as His PGA Tour Comeback Hits a Snag

Golf Fans All Say Same Thing as PGA Tour Returns to U.S. City After 84 Years With New Event

Did Collin Morikawa & Co. succumb to the mental pressure put by the media?

As soon as Keegan Bradley picked Collin Morikawa & Patrick Cantlay in the team, everyone started accusing him of turning Team U.S. into a boys club. The biggest reason they were critical of the move is that both individuals were out of form and struggling on the fairway. That would have certainly played a huge part in their mental state, as all eyes were on them to perform. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Both Cantlay & Morikawa crumbled under pressure. They registered two points between them after playing eight matches without sharing a single match. When you look at it from their team’s perspective, the U.S. earned two points from nearly one-third of their matches. Whether you consider it bad team picks by Keegan Bradley, poor strategy by his squad, or bad media representation, they can’t afford to repeat the mistake in 2027.