Luke Donald once opened up about Collin Morikawa, sharing his true feelings on the American Ryder Cup player as both a golfer and a person.
Donald and his European team will come head-to-head with Morikawa and co at the Ryder Cup later this month.
The 2020 PGA Championship winner and 2021 Open champion has really struggled with his game over the past few months.
Morikawa’s form ahead of the Ryder Cup has been a big concern for American golf fans.
He seems to be an absolute shadow of his former self, and his game is a poor fit for Bethpage Black.
However, he was one of the very best players in the world on his day.
If he manages to rediscover his best form, he will be a potent weapon for the US team at the Ryder Cup later this month.
What Luke Donald said about Collin Morikawa as a person and a golfer
It’s fair to suggest that Morikawa is far from the most popular PGA Tour player amongst the fans.
He caused a big stir back in March at Bay Hill. Morikawa blew a three-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational during the final round six months ago, and he refused to speak to the press after his round.
That did his reputation no favours whatsoever. The 28-year-old also shared somewhat of an awkward exchange with a journalist ahead of the Rocket Classic back in June, and he received real criticism for that as well.
However, in elite level sport, the desire to win often leads to incredibly low moments for athletes when they experience defeat.
Given the controversy that Morikawa has been embroiled in this season, it’s interesting to look back at what European Ryder Cup captain Donald said about him four years ago.
Donald took to his X account and offered really high words of praise for the six-time PGA Tour winner, after the American won the DP World Tour Championship in 2021.
He said: “Morikawa is pure class. Have never heard a bad word spoken of him – a wise head on young shoulders and quite the talent.“
At the time, Morikawa was actually one of the most dominant players in the world, having won two major championships over the past 12 months.
How Luke Donald reacted to Scottie Scheffler’s first major win
Donald is often one of the first people to congratulate his fellow pros on their successes.
The Englishman is a huge fan of Scottie Scheffler, and why wouldn’t he be?
Back in 2022, Donald reacted to Scheffler’s first major triumph at The Masters.
Back in 2022, Scheffler actually won The Masters after four-putting the final green from around 30 feet.
It was a surreal ending to what was a superbly controlled final round from the current world number one.
Scheffler will be hoping to be a real thorn in Donald’s side at the Ryder Cup in just over three weeks’ time.
Team Europe will be hoping that the 29-year-old doesn’t produce the form he has shown over the past three years on the PGA Tour.
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