“Just because two people are great at what they do doesn’t mean we’re going to be great together,” Collin Morikawa said with a shrug when he decided to split ways with Joe Greiner on Wednesday ahead of the 2025 Rocket Classic. It’s his second caddie split this season—he already ended his long-running partnership with J.J. Jakovac earlier in the year. So naturally, the golf world had questions. But reporter Adam Schupak wasn’t about to wait for the official press conference to get answers. He dove right in—and while Morikawa did respond, his reply came laced with visible frustration, likely fueled by something else simmering beneath the surface.

Impatient for answers, the reporter decided to catch Morikawa right on the first tee, just as he was about to tee off at the pro-am round. “Ask me anything you want in my press conference later. I’m with my pro-am partners now,” was Morikawa’s polite response on the first tee. And little did he know it would be brewed into something else. When he arrived at the press conference post his pro-am round, Morikawa walked in looking noticeably annoyed. Schupak brought up the caddie question again, and this time, Morikawa wasn’t in the mood to play it safe. The response was brief but pointed, and the tension in the room was immediately noticeable.

“I read your article that you wrote. Look, I’m not here to tell people how to do their jobs, but I don’t get why you would make me sound bad because you put out my quote that I was playing with pro-am partners out front,” Morikawa responded to Schupak. Turns out, the Golfweek journalist had already published a piece quoting Morikawa’s earlier brush-off, but the way it was framed made the two-time major champion come off a little arrogant. Not exactly the vibe Morikawa was going for, and he wasn’t thrilled about it.

“Those guys are paying a lot of money, they’re very important to the community, they’re very important to the Rocket Classic, and for you to put out a quote like that to put me down and saying, ‘hey, wait two and a half hours,’ I mean, you called me up on the first tee, you know? I’m not going to tell you how to do your job, you can write whatever you want, this is America, but don’t put me down like that because it’s two and a half hours, Adam,” said the 28-year-old.

While Schupak responded that he was only implying Collin Morikawa‘s focus on the pro-am, Morikawa felt that the article could be misconstrued in several ways, and people could have different perspectives on it. “Okay. We can all read it very differently. That’s not how I read it. I don’t know how… I’m just telling you, like I think there’s a perspective where people can read it like that.” And while this heated exchange was the tipping point for the major champion, golf fans could not hold back their reactions.

Fans react to Morikawa’s heated exchange

Plenty of fans jumped to Morikawa’s defense, applauding him for standing his ground. “Complete non-story. Morikawa is extremely respectful in this exchange and is in the right,” a fan expressed and suggested that there was no point in this becoming a story when there was no wrong on Morikawa’s part. Another chimed in with a similar observation, “People are soft. This isn’t tense. Good on Morikowa for stating how he felt respectfully,” when all Morikawa did was to just express his disdain over the reporting.

“It’s funny how fans come to defense of the corrupt golf media before an elite player like Collin,” another fan came out in support of Morikawa. While we all know fans genuinely come out in support, there are times when we see them waiting for a chance to find a flaw in players. And the relationship between the golf media and the tour players has never always been a friendly one.

While Collin Morikawa received a lot of support for putting his foot down, a fan couldn’t help but take a jibe at the major champion. “Colin’s been losing it recently,” a fan commented. Just earlier in March, Morikawa was widely criticised by the media and fans after his tough defeat at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He finished one stroke behind Russell Henley, and said, “I don’t owe anyone,” when he refused to speak to the media after his defeat.

Another fan couldn’t help but compare him to Rory McIlroy. “Him and Rory must have the same media coach,” the fan sarcastically commented, bringing McIlroy into the picture, who has been infamous for his bitter relationship with the media this year. Whether this presser moment was a blip or a sign of growing frustration, one thing is clear. In today’s hyper-connected world, even a few words off the record can carry a lot of weight and can be misconstrued.