Colleen Morikawa defends himself against accusations of cheating on following the ball

A video of Colleen Morikawa placing a ball in front of a marker has gone viral. Credit: Getty Images/Christian Petersen

Collin Morikawa, the two-time top winner, was forced to defend himself on social media, insisting he was «playing by the rules» after a video clip of him substituting his ball for an inch or two in front of his marker on Masters opening day, went viral.

Morikawa, 26, was preparing a long putt on the sixth par-three when the incident occurred.

The video shows the American placing the ball an inch or so in front of his marker, then moving the marker behind the ball, lifting the ball, putting it back in place, and then removing the marker again.

"Did you see what I saw there with the mark?" — asks the TV presenter in the video. "I'm not sure what I actually saw" — answers his co-commentator.

Golf fans have wondered if Morikawa, who won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship, both in debut, could have been breaking the rules. But Morikawa later tweeted an extended version of the clip showing him backing away from his original shot before speaking to teammate Matt Fitzpatrick and then bending down to move the ball.

In a few words accompanying the video, Morikawa clarified that the ball moved before he played it, adding that its original location was not where the marker first appeared in the viral clip.

🚨Morikawa on the ball celebrating the storm on Twitter: “Yes, the ball moved, & then I moved it back,” he said. “Pretty standard now. Pretty routine in our rulebook, thankfully.» When told it had gone viral, he said, “OK. Pick up this PIP. Blow me up guys.» NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 6, 2023

Morikawa was not considered to have broken any rules as a ball that moves before play must be placed in its original spot.

The Californian was booked on Thursday In the 69th round, three less, four throws behind the first leaders. Morikawa's best result at the Masters came 12 months ago when he played alongside Rory McIlroy in the final round, ending the under-67 five-player round for 5th place. Both players scored from a green bunker on the 18th, a memorable moment at the Masters.