Ryan Lavner weighs in on whether Collin Morikawa is to blame for Ryder Cup fans’ conduct

Morikawa had described the mood during practice as ‘tame’ and said he was hoping for a bit more energy once the matches began.

That is exactly what he got, though perhaps not in the way he intended. Several European players faced heavy heckling, with Rory McIlroy receiving the worst of it.

Morikawa has said that his comments were not responsible for how things played out, and speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner supported him by pointing to other factors at play.

“The PGA of America, in my opinion, could have done a better job of pre-empting some of the abuse that we saw. Having more security, being more vigilant, having an understanding or at least an outward messaging that you still need to be respectful, and that’s where I think Collin Morikawa was going when he was asking for chaos. He wasn’t saying chaos in terms of Rory McIlroy enduring three days of abuse, and Erica McIlroy enduring three days of abuse, and Shane Lowry being criticised by everybody for his weight, or Jon Rahm with the Ozempic jokes.

“That’s not what Collin Morikawa meant when he said he wanted chaos. What he meant was that they wanted energy, that they wanted an atmosphere, that when they made birdies, they wanted the place to be absolutely unhinged in a positive way, in an energetic way, not to actually have this vitriolic response. I think his intention was good, and so I don’t think Collin Morikawa bears any responsibility whatsoever, because that’s how it should have been.

“Had the Americans played better, I really do think the place could have been absolutely electric. Instead, they didn’t, they faltered, they played poorly. The fans who played $750 were p—-d, they took it out unfortunately on their opponents.”

Collin Morikawa has been under fire more than once this season

Morikawa has had to answer a few tough questions this season.

Early on, things looked promising – he finished second at The Sentry and again at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. But the year has not gone as planned since then.

After his loss at Bay Hill, Morikawa chose not to speak with the media, a decision that drew some criticism.

And there was also some tension with a reporter following his split with caddie Joe Greiner.

It is easy to see why he would be frustrated by any suggestion that he played a part in what happened at Bethpage. His comments never crossed a line.

But for those looking to stir up trouble, hearing someone use the word ‘chaos’ gave them all the justification they needed – even if that was far from what Morikawa intended.