Morikawa Declares ‘No Lingering Anger’ Returning To Competition Post Ryder Cup Drubbing

2 years ago by Comments Off on Morikawa Declares ‘No Lingering Anger’ Returning To Competition Post Ryder Cup Drubbing

It’s been three weeks since the star spangled USA Ryder Cup team was soundly spanked by their European hosts in Rome.

And this week for a first time we are seeing some of the Americans finally returning to competition including the trio of Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Rickie Fowler, who have travelled to Japan for the ZoZo Championship.

The ZoZo Championship was first staged in Japan in 2019 and won by Tiger Woods, and while the Covid pandemic saw it moved to the US the only PGA Tour event held in Japan has been back in the Land of the Rising Sun for the past two years.

Morikawa is in Japan looking for a first win in nearly two years, when he captured the DP World Tour season-ending DP World Tour Championship, and was asked his views in returning to the competition fairways following the disappointment in Rome.

“Nothing’s carried over,” said the double-major winning Morikawa.

“I mean, look, the Ryder Cup was what it was and — that’s the final result.

“There’s no lingering anger from losing at a Ryder Cup coming into a week like this. They’re two different things, one’s a team event and this is normal individual golf.”

Morikawa and Schauffele won only a single point each from four matches while Fowler, and a veteran now of five Ryder Cup’s, played only two matches and disappointingly for the now 34-year-old he lost both.

“I don’t think you ever really erase it,” said Fowler. “Like I mentioned, they’re still amazing weeks, just not fun being on the wrong side of it.

“We like to put the losing memories behind us. But the memories we have with teammates and captains and the overall week, it’s something it’s still fun to look back on.”

Schauffele, who described his play in Italy as decent but “not great,” was asked about comments made by his father, Stefan, at the Ryder Cup, essentially suggesting that players should be compensated.

“I wasn’t super fired up that he (father) was speaking to media, just because I know how things get twisted,” said Schauffele.

“He specifically said that if the tournament’s for-profit, then players should get paid. He also said that if it’s charitable — it should be a charitable event most likely and that everything should get donated.”

For the fourth occasion in Japan, the Zozo Championship is a 78-player, no-cut tournament at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Keegan Bradley is the defending champ having denied Fowler a year ago while in June this year the now 37-year-old won a sixth PGA Tour career title with success at the Travelers Championship.

Among those teeing-up is ultra-talented Aussie Ming Woo Lee coming off his Asian Tour victory in the Macau Open, and with the Perth-born Lee now ranked No. 45 in the world.

And also in the field is the now 32-year-old Ryo Ishikawa, a winner of 19 pro career titles and all but one on the Japan Tour. It was in May 2007, Ishikawa became the youngest winner ever of a men’s regular tournament on the Japan Golf Tour by winning the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at the age 15 years and 8 months. He competed as an amateur and it was Ishikawa’s first tour appearance

Ishikawa’s last regular PGA Tour event was the 2021 Honda Classic while he last contested the ZoZo Championship in 2020, and the only time the event has been held out of Japan.



Comments are closed.