THREE OFF THE TEE

While the golf ball roll back is dominating the golf world news today. I am focused on another semi-spicy story out of the Hero World Challenge. Between Colin Morikawa, PGA Rules official Stephen Cox and what golf Twitter is dubbing Matthew Snitchpatrick. Those are Twitter’s words and not mine. I am a huge fan of Matts. In reality Matthew Fitzpatrick did not “snitch” on Collin. He was asking for clarification on what notes he could take for his own knowledge. It was not intentional from the Fitzpatrick camp and there is no bad blood between Morikawa and Fitz. The tense exchange was between Collin Morikawa and PGA rules official Stephen Cox.

PGA pro Collin Morikawa encountered a significant setback due to a rare rules penalty. This incident unfolded during the third round on the par-4 4th hole, where Morikawa, along with his caddie JJ Jakovac, utilized information written in their yardage book derived from a device measuring slope levels on the practice green. This breach of Model Local Rule G-11, which restricts the use of green-reading materials, resulted in a two-shot penalty for Morikawa, dropping him from fourth to ninth place​​​​​​.

The situation escalated when Matt Fitzpatrick, Morikawa’s playing partner, “accidentally” reported the infraction after overhearing a conversation between Morikawa and Jakovac. Fitzpatrick had previously sought clarification on a similar matter from his putting coach and was told such actions were not permissible. His inquiry to the officials about Morikawa’s actions inadvertently led to the penalty​​​​.

Morikawa accepted full responsibility for the mistake, emphasizing that it was their first offense of this nature and expressing frustration over the miscommunication and differing interpretations of the rule by officials. He also noted a perceived inconsistency in the application and understanding of the rules among players and caddies.

🚨👀😲 Collin Morikawa was not happy with his ruling; "To be honest, I was a little mad at Stephen. (Rules official). He told us to meet him in the locker room. I was waiting in there for about five minutes and he didn't show up. This was midway through my warm-up. If you're…

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) December 3, 2023

The incident culminated in a tense meeting between Morikawa and the rules official Stephen Cox, with NBC announcer Dan Hicks describing it as “an intense exchange”​​. Morikawa expressed his disappointment in ending the year on such a note, highlighting the complexities and “gray areas” in golf’s rules that can lead to such situations​​.

““It just sucks that from our understanding and from JJ’s questioning of officials, it’s like what do we trust now, right?” He highlighted the uncertainty and confusion stemming from what they believed to be a permissible action based on their understanding of the rules and previous interactions with officials.”

-Collin Morikawa on ruling that cost him two strokes.

Collin Morikawa’s interaction with rules official Stephen Cox following the penalty at the Hero World Challenge was notably tense. NBC announcer Dan Hicks described the meeting as “an intense exchange” on the practice green. Morikawa expressed his frustration, highlighting the ambiguities in the rule and the confusion caused by different interpretations from various officials. He felt a sense of injustice, pointing out that based on previous consultations with officials, what they did seemed permissible. This situation underscores the complexities within golf’s rules and the challenges players face in navigating these regulations under high-stakes conditions.

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“JJ got a text from Stephen Cox in the morning,” Morikawa told reporters. “He didn’t let me know because he just didn’t want me to worry about anything. Then we started warming up and about 45 minutes left in my warmup, that’s when he got another text from Stephen to say meet in the locker room. We go there and we’re looking for him and he’s nowhere to be found and that’s just more frustrating on my part because, look, at the end of the day, like just be direct. Like we’re too much back and forth with everything in today’s golf world, right? Just be direct and tell me like am I playing, am I not playing? Just give it to me, right? Kind of going around the bush. 

“Look, I get it, no one wants to hurt anyone’s feelings and it is what it is.”

-Morikawa on meeting with PGA rules official Stephen Cox

This episode at the Hero World Challenge not only underscores the intricate nature of golf’s rules but also raises questions about their consistent application and interpretation in the professional circuit.