AUGUSTA, Ga. — One of the great debates in recent months has revolved around a professional golfer’s relationship with the media and whether it is their duty to speak to the press after the round.
This all started after Rory McIlroy’s agonizing defeat at the 2024 U.S. Open, when he bolted out of Pinehurst No. 2 faster than he could say goodbye. McIlroy did not publicly discuss what happened until the Scottish Open the following month.
The conversation exploded this past March at The Players Championship, where Collin Morikawa said he ‘doesn’t owe anyone anything.’ He then doubled down on that comment later in the week after taking an onslaught of criticism from many pundits, notably Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley. The week before, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Morikawa held a three-shot lead on the back nine. But after coughing it up to Russell Henley, he dodged out of Bay Hill, saying later that he wanted to get out of Orlando as quickly as possible.
Naturally, this topic emerged on Thursday morning at Augusta National.
Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Gary Player — who have 35 majors combined — opened The Masters by hitting the ceremonial opening tee shots. After that, Nicklaus, Watson, and Player spoke to reporters.
I asked them about what a player’s relationship with the media should be and how they conducted themselves with the press throughout their careers.
“I think it’s our obligation, and actually it’s been a pleasure,” Nicklaus said.
“I’ve enjoyed my relationship with the press, and I think the press is — I think if we treat you fairly, I’ve always expected you to treat us fairly, and through the years I think for 99 percent of the time I’ve been treated very fairly.”
Player took a different approach.
“That’s a very important question,” Player, the first International winner at The Masters, said.
“Nobody likes to have a bad round, but that’s part of life, ups and downs, and you should have to come to the press and answer questions, because without you guys — I disagree with Jack, I don’t think you always treat us fairly. I’ve seen a lot of things written that are not true and not fair, but that’s also part of the game, the good and bad of life. But we have to go to the press every time we finish the round.”
Player also shared an anecdote about his father, who worked tirelessly in the South African mines 8,000 feet beneath the ground every day.
“He loved golf,” Player said of his father.
“He said, ‘Without the press, you will not have the tournaments that you’d like to have.’ Yes, we could have a Tour, and I think there should be a PGA rule that if you’re requested to go after a round, it’s our obligation to do this. If you ask for somebody to go to the pressroom, whether you shoot 90 or you shoot 60, you should have to go there.”
The game of golf is emblematic of the game of life. You get good breaks from bad shots, bad breaks from good ones. Everyone has their downs, while many others feel plenty of highs. In the same vein, golf is a game of emotion. No other sport has more of a mental toll on oneself than golf. And that is why talking about your feelings, thoughts, and hopes is essential, even in the most difficult circumstances. People can relate more to losing than winning, too; that’s just the way of the world. You also learn way more in defeat, and golf fans appreciate and respect that.
“It’s a responsibility — actually, it’s a two-way street,” Watson added.
“We have a social media element now that is different than the written press or the radio press, TV press, that adds to the amount of time that is necessary to speak.”
Nicklaus offered a very empathetic approach as well.
“I think that you all have a job to do, and I think that you need access to us, and I think that we need to — as long as you’re respectful to what we’re doing, I think we have an obligation to be able to answer your questions and do what needs to be. Do I understand where somebody is really irritated and so forth and so on and they might say, hey, I can’t talk right now? I can understand that. I don’t believe I’ve ever done that, and I don’t believe either one of these two ever have. That’s sort of my feeling,” the 6-time Masters champion said.
“But everybody is different. You can’t really judge a person — I suppose you can in some ways, you judge them, but you probably shouldn’t in a fleeting moment. We’re here because you’re here. We got up early this morning, as you did, to go out and hit a golf ball on the first tee and then come in here and talk about it. Do I have any interest in talking about the way I hit a golf ball off the first tee today? No, but you guys had some interest; you’re all sitting here.”
Speaking of fleeting moments, Watson brought to light a hilarious story about the late, great Seve Ballesteros, the first European to win a Green Jacket.
“One of the classic responses to one of your questions was made by Seve Ballesteros when he was asked, ‘Seve, how did you four-putt the 16th hole?’ He said, ‘I miss, I miss, I miss, I make,’” Watson said all while trying to impersonate Ballesteros, which drew a mighty laugh from everyone in attendance.
“Not too many years after that, I five-putted the 16th hole. So I said, ‘I miss, I miss, I miss, I miss, I make.’”
But after providing that humorous anecdote, Watson cut to the chase.
“I always liked what Jack had to say,” Watson added.
“He said, ‘You have a job to do, and it’s our responsibility to help you with your job.’ That’s the way I feel about it.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
