World No. 2 Collin Morikawa said Tuesday that he will remain on the PGA Tour after listening to overtures from the Saudi-backed Super Golf League (SGL), saying the tour is “where I belong.”
The two-time major champion made the remarks ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
“As it goes to the Saudi stuff, I’m all for the PGA Tour,” Morikawa said. “I’ve thought about playing against Tiger, beating his records, whatever, something that might not even be breakable, but I’ve never had another thought of what’s out there, right? I’ve never thought about anything else, it’s always been the PGA Tour.”
This week will mark the fourth PGA Tour event Morikawa has played in the 2021-22 season, having played some events on the DP World Tour (nee European Tour).
“Right now, you look at the best players that I see and they’re all sticking with the PGA Tour and that’s where I kind of stay and that’s where I belong. I’m very happy to be here,” Morikawa added.
The SGL has been actively recruiting from the two main tours, trying to lure away the world’s top stars with offers ranging up to a reported $150 million to jump tours.
Morikawa also didn’t completely shut down the idea of jumping tours, implying he didn’t have enough answers to questions he had during talks. For example, Morikawa was asked Tuesday if he had received a huge money offer from the SGL, being fronted by former golfer Greg Norman.
“Look, so we had conversations. That was later down the road,” Morikawa said. “I wanted to find out more details. So yeah, there was money, but for me it’s thinking about where I am in the position I am today, right? I’m 25, I’ve got a great life, I’ve got a great career so far. I’m enjoying it, I’m loving what I’m doing.
“The only way I can start thinking about other tours, other leagues, whatever you call it, I need concrete evidence. I need to be able to see a sheet in front of me and know what’s out there, right? And as of now, for what I know, I don’t know what’s out there. All I’ve heard are rumors, all I’ve heard is talk and that’s hard to do, right?”
Morikawa is coming off a victory at the 2021 Open Championship. He also won the 2020 PGA Championship and has five career victories on the PGA Tour with career earnings in excess of $15.6 million.
The Asian Tour earlier this month announced the addition of a 10-event series of Saudi-backed tournaments in Britain and the Middle East. Norman said dates would be coming soon to the U.S., too.
“So my door’s — I’m still open to learning because I want to learn what’s out there. I want to know the details, too,” Morikawa said. “I don’t want to keep hearing it from other people saying, ‘You need to go talk to this person, you need to do this, this is what they have, this is what they don’t have.’
“If there were more details, maybe I would have thought about it more, maybe I would have given it more of a decision and I would have had to sit down and ask more questions, but it’s hard to ask questions when you’re not getting answers, either.”
–Field Level Media