Collin Morikawa faced some questions about a potential rules violation during the opening round of the Masters on Thursday, but the video that went viral does not tell the full story.
Fans on social media went nuts after a clip circulated that looked like it showed Morikawa placing his ball an inch or two away from his ball marker on the sixth green, which would be a penalty. The clip that generated the most attention did not show what happened before Morikawa moved his ball marker and picked up his ball.
Potential rules violation by Collin Morikawa #TheMasters
pic.twitter.com/ggN4KmLTvC— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 6, 2023
In the absence of full context, that did not look good. However, those who saw the full sequence know that Morikawa stepped up to his birdie putt and then backed off. The reason he did that is likely because his ball rolled back when he addressed it and he wanted to put it back in its original position, which is legal.
You can see the entire sequence in the video below, but ignore the commentary:
Morikawa what are you doing buddy? Costing yourself a stroke to move up 4 inches?
If you’re gonna cheat you have to do more than that
— Joe Pop (@JoePops_) April 6, 2023
Some people who saw what unfolded said Morikawa was replacing his ball after it moved backward or oscillated.
Went back and watched this:
As he addressed his ball on 6, and it looked like the ball moved and rolled back a few inches.
This looks like it was moving it back to its original position. https://t.co/QZWXjdOqci
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) April 6, 2023
Morikawa almost certainly was not trying to cheat. He is one of the favorites at the Masters, and he knows cameras are on him at all times.
If you remember, Dustin Johnson was penalized when he won the US Open back in 2016 when he addressed his ball on the green and unintentionally caused it to move. Johnson was unsure if something he did caused the ball to move, which led to the penalty. The rule was changed not long after that event to eliminate any penalty when a ball is moved accidentally.
What Morikawa did would have been illegal before the rule was changed. That is exactly why the rule was changed and why he likely will not be penalized.
