In the very beginning of the 2025 season, Justin Thomas stepped forward with a strong message to his fellow PGA Tour players. He urged them to open up more to the fans. In a detailed letter to the Tour membership, the two-time Major champion advocated for greater on-course access, including mid-round interviews and behind-the-scenes insights. Why? Because the American star believes that it would bridge the gap between golfers and viewers. However, a countryman has since chosen to differ from Thomas.

Justin Thomas voiced his opinion, saying, “more access and insight can make a WORLD of difference…pre-round interviews, mid-round interviews, wearing a mic, communication of any equipment/swing changes you’re working on.” His call came at a time when not everyone on Tour sees eye-to-eye on the matter. And now, Collin Morikawa has voiced his discomfort with the idea of mid-round interviews. 

Recently appearing on the Fore Play Podcast Plus Morikawa was asked by the hosts about doing mid-round interviews. Sharing his take on the matter, Morikawa added, “I did one really early. I know Max did the first one ever. I did mine at Riv. So, like I explained to them that I wanted an easy hole. Like I didn’t want to think about, there’s easier holes than others. So, it’s supposed to be 11 at Riv, which is like a straight par five…And then they switched it to 10. I was like freaking out because I mean you 10, you’re just aiming for the left trees hoping you find a shot. I mean, I hit a great shot. hit it just like pin high or front edge pin high.” 

Morikawa then shared his experience of wearing the earpiece during the game and stated, “So that was when they gave an earpiece. Now they’ll do like a walk and talk off of a T-box in the middle of the round on 14. Okay. So those are pretty easy, but that’s the same thing as the like middle of the inning interview.  I know people like it. I don’t know if you’re getting as much out of it as you want because there’s only certain questions you’re gonna ask, and depending on my mood, I can come off as like an a**h*le.”

While Thomas believes that more access to the players could redefine golf’s viewing experience, Morikawa wants to stick to the traditional means. Reflecting on that, Morikawa shared, “I think you see you see people for who they are a lot more when they’re out here doing this type of stuff. When you’re on the course, we’re not trying to be anyone else. Like, we’re really not. But all we care about is winning, hitting great shots, making birdies. I truly don’t care about what’s going on around me.” However, while the 28-year-old star disagrees with Thomas’ approach, he did not let go of some valuable inputs from the icon when he joined the league.

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Collin Morikawa reflects on Justin Thomas’ early advice that shaped his career

While Collin Morikawa differs from his colleague’s view regarding mid-round interviews, he took some valuable suggestions from Thomas when he first joined the PGA Tour. Coming into the professional realm and rubbing shoulders with the golfing greats is always a tough ask. However, it would be pretty helpful for a rookie to have some insights from a seasoned campaigner. Luckily for Morikawa, he found the exact match in his fellow countryman, Justin Thomas.

In September 2025, Morikawa spoke to the PGA Tour’s media channels. And while speaking about what advice Thomas gave him, the current world number eight stated, “JT once gave me some advice once that if you’re good enough then you’re going to make it out here at some point, like everyone is always in a rush and I get that it’s how today’s world works, but you just have to keep believing in yourself.” 

Morikawa is a six-time PGA Tour champion. And what’s more intriguing is the fact that the 28-year-old won both the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship while making his debut. Apart from this, Morikawa has also clinched the Race to Dubai title in 2021. Thus, it is pretty much evident that the US golfer incorporated Thomas’ advice diligently. And while he is one of the top golfers in the world, Morikawa’s bond with Thomas remains intact.