Brandel Chamblee fires back at Collin Morikawa, calling him out for his criticism: "He said no to the fans"

Brandel Chamblee responded to Collin Morikawa's criticism after the two-time major champion spoke to the media following his second round at The Players Championship on Friday.

On Friday, Morikawa responded to criticism from golf commentators after he declined to speak with the media following his one-stroke loss at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week. Morikawa had the lead for most of the final round before Russell Henley took the lead in the final holes.

PGATOUR.com's Paul Hodowanic posted a video of Morikawa's remarks on X.

"Then I just want to add one more thing. I might bite my tongue after saying this, but to the Brandel Chamblees, to the Paul McGinleys, to the Rocco Mediates of the world, I don't regret anything I said. You know, it might have been a little bit harsh that I don't owe anyone, but I don't owe anyone. I respect the fans. I'm very thankful for them. I'm grateful. It makes me emotional, but it's just -- it hurts to hear people say this, and especially you guys, because I finished the round and I went to go sign for 10 minutes, 15 minutes for all the people after," Collin Morikawa says in the video.

Chamblee responded to Morikawa on the Golf Channel on Friday and accused him of setting a "dangerous precedent" by not speaking to the media after his loss at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"It's interesting that he called myself and Paul and Rocco about it... It wasn't us. He didn't say no to us. He said no to the fans. He said no to the sponsors. Saying no to the PGA Tour. He's saying no to his fellow players who do these interviews," Chamblee said (via Golf.com).

Chamblee furthered his comments by saying he hopes Morikawa doesn't continue this trend after future close losses.

"But it sets a dangerous precedent. And if he really does feel that way, that's fine, it's his opinion. I have mine. He has his. But I think he'll regret it if he carries on turning down the media after he loses because he's so good, he's going to have many more painful losses. He's going to have many more wins, too, but it's just part of the game," Chamblee said.

Morikawa did not say whether or not he would do the same thing after tough losses in the future.

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Collin Morikawa looking to win his first Players Championship this weekend

Collin Morikawa at THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 (via Getty)

Collin Morikawa is aiming to win his first PGA Tour event since the 2023 Zozo Championship. He's currently the fourth ranked golfer in the world. But a disastrous third round has him well off the pace in his bid to contend for The Players Championship.

He's off to strong start in 2025, finishing in solo second place at both The Sentry in January and last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Morikawa made the cut at all five PGA Tour events he's played in this year, including this week's Players Championship. But going into the final day of the event, he finds himself a long way behind the leaders.