Collin Morikawa remains a prominent name on the PGA Tour, but it’s hard to ignore that his game has slipped over the past year.
Consistency was hard to come by for Morikawa during the 2025 season. Following The Players Championship in March, he managed just one top-10 finish – an eighth-place showing at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in June.
His last victory came back in October 2023, and much of this year’s conversation has focused more on his off-course behaviour than anything he’s achieved between the ropes.
Morikawa faced criticism for avoiding media duties after finishing runner-up to Russell Henley at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Later in the season, his handling of questions about frequent caddie changes – having gone through five different caddies in 2025 alone – drew further scrutiny.
Despite being involved in several off-course stories this year, Morikawa thinks there is a way the PGA Tour could make its product better, particularly when it comes to storytelling and following players during tournaments.
Collin Morikawa explains what the PGA Tour needs to do to make golf more exciting
Morikawa’s season might have looked very different if he’d managed to close out the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He ended up losing by just one shot to Russell Henley, and it was a moment that stuck with him.
Appearing on the Fore Play Plus Podcast, Morikawa was asked about an incident at Bay Hill in March when the PGA Tour broadcast missed showing Henley’s chip-in on the 16th hole live during the final round. Reflecting on that moment, Morikawa explained what he feels golf needs to do to become more engaging for fans.
He said: “It was wild (that they didn’t show Henley chip in live at Bay Hill). It was a chip going away from him down towards the water and it was a cool view too, it’s not like it was a bad view. That’s the one thing for golf to be more exciting, you just have to see more shots and there are plenty of shots, good or bad.”
“Like it doesn’t matter, like we see a lot of good shots and you kind of know now, if you watch enough golf, whether it’s going to be a good shot or not, just by looking at where they are on the leaderboard. The Tour doesn’t have cameras on every group.”
This is something that fans have long voiced frustrations over – missing key moments during crucial stretches of play because broadcasters simply aren’t showing all the action live.
Brandel Chamblee’s thoughts on advertising during golf broadcasts
Golf fans have long voiced frustration over the number of adverts shown during PGA Tour coverage, and it’s not a new complaint. Speaking on the issue, Brandel Chamblee explained why he doesn’t share those concerns.
He said: “If you have an X account and follow golf, you are well-acquainted with the whining about there being too many commercials during broadcasts of PGA Tour events. On average, a three-hour golf broadcast will have 54 minutes of commercials.
“For comparison, the typical NFL game will last three hours and 12 minutes and will have 67 minutes of advertising. Yet, the NFL is booming and indeed 42% of those polled said they watch the Super Bowl FOR the commercials and 50% said they will be buying from a brand in a Super Bowl commercial.
“Clearly, ads are necessary for networks to offset the huge rights fees they pay the sports leagues but from the advertisers point of view, the ads work. According to data, ad recall is significantly higher on linear TV than on streaming devices.
“Furthermore, according to the data, 60% of those polled are willing to watch ads if it means they don’t have to pay as much. In 2024 alone, 56% of new streaming subscribers have chosen a lower priced ad tier compared to 39% in 2023. Ads may be annoying to some, but they are necessary, and they work.”
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Chamblee makes some valid points about how advertising supports sports broadcasting financially. Even so – it feels like there should be room for improvement when it comes to balancing adverts with live action.
No one expects commercial-free coverage without paying extra. But fans do want better timing so key moments aren’t missed because of poorly placed breaks.
