Collin Morikawa admitted playing poker with golf legend Tiger Woods was “a dream.”
Morikawa was invited to Woods’ star-studded Tiger Jam event in Las Vegas last week. A-list guests enjoyed golf and poker, among various activities to help raise funds for their foundation.
While Morikawa was amazed by Woods’ ability on the course during a clinic they held for young golfers, he had more praise for spending time with his idol at the poker table.
“I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to do something like that and talk to him and hang out,” Morikawa said at a news conference before this week’s Memorial Tournament.
“Because you go back and look at your 15-year-old self and say, ‘You’re going to spend a few hours with Tiger playing poker, hitting some golf balls on the course, picking his brain, playing games,’ that’s a dream, right? “So that’s great.”
Collin Morikawa said it was “a dream” to play poker with Tiger Woods at last week’s Tiger Jam
Woods hosted the star-studded event in Las Vegas to raise funds for his TGR Foundation
Although Morikawa gushed about spending time with Woods in Las Vegas, a clip of the golf legend at the poker event raised eyebrows among golf fans earlier this week.
The winner of 15 major tournaments was caught on camera by American professional poker player Phil Hellmuth during his Tiger Jam charity poker event in Sin City.
Woods answers questions on camera, but the clip has raised eyebrows among his fans, with some wondering if he had had too much to drink.
At the beginning of the clip, Woods stares into the camera and has been compared to a wax model, but other fans quickly came to his defense and insisted he was simply having a good night in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, Morikawa reflected on the upcoming major championship at Pinehurst this month and acknowledged how Woods’ ‘ego’ can lead to his detriment at the US Open.
Woods has played just four times on the PGA Tour since undergoing reconstructive ankle surgery in April 2023. He has participated in the Hero World Challenge, Genesis Invitational, Masters and PGA Championship.
Although Woods still shows flashes of the skills that earned him his notoriety, there have been questions about his ability to walk 18 holes behind the lingering effects of a high-speed car accident in 2021.
However, Woods has adamantly ruled out the possibility that he ever used a golf cart during PGA Tour competition in the past.
Morikawa pointed out that Woods’ ego could lead him to make a bad decision at the US Open
Morikawa suggested it would be best for Woods to use a stroller to help his ankles after surgery.
With the PGA allowing the use of Carts for select players, the two-time major champion was asked if Woods is allowing his pride to stop him from making the right decision.
“Yes, but his ego is quite big, like all of ours,” Morikawa replied. “I think he wants to keep doing it until he can’t and maybe there’s something about a golf cart that’s not right (for him). I’d take a golf cart if they let me.
‘The skill and the feel are still there, right?’ Morikawa added.
‘So you wouldn’t know it, but you add that over time, over 18 holes, over the course of 72 holes and the whole week of preparation. The guy has been through a lot.
