'If We're Banning AimPoint I Think We Should Ban Long Putters As Well' - Collin Morikawa Defends Green Reading Method After Fellow Pro Calls It Out For Being 'Rude'

Collin Morikawa has defended the suggestion of a ban on AimPoint by PGA Tour player, Lucas Glover, suggesting that there should be a ban on "long putters."

The jibe was aimed at the former US Open champion, who recently claimed on the SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio that the AimPoint method is “rude,” and "hasn't helped anybody make more putts since its inception on the PGA Tour."

Speaking at a press conference at the Genesis Invitational on Tuesday, Morikawa stated: "I have nothing against Lucas, but if we're banning AimPoint I think we should ban long putters as well," with the comment causing a mix of gasps and laughs in the media centre.

The reason for Glover using a long putter is down to the fact the American endured a 10-year battle with the yips on the greens, a condition that can cause involuntary wrist spasms.

Speaking back in August 2023, Glover explained how moving to a long putter had completely changed his game, revealing that at one point in his career he "was going to try left-handed."

In terms of Morikawa's game, the American started using the green reading method, AimPoint, a number of years ago, with Morikawa acknowledging that it "does take longer if you're not doing it properly" but, from his perspective, it "has 1,000%" helped him in terms of putting in tournament play.

"I think there's a respect issue. I think some players might get a little bit too close to the hole and I get that," explained Morikawa, who is one of the favorites going into the week at Torrey Pines.

"When you get too close to the hole when someone else is putting, yeah, like I don't want my line and my putt to go over someone else's foot and their marks. I mean, are you going to tell other players not to walk around the hole when we're picking up putts?

"I listen to the announcers sometimes during play and they say why would you AimPoint this, this and that. It gets a basis of how I read a putt and how I start my lines. It's just like reading something from behind the hole or behind the ball, that's how I'm getting my general read for that."

Throughout the start of 2025, slow play has been a big talking point, as many called out the pace of play during The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open, which takes place at this week's venue Torrey Pines.

The LPGA Tour have introduced new policies to help combat it and, at the Founders Cup, play did seem to get quicker. Currently though, the PGA Tour isn't as strict in enforcing its pace of play, but has listed some ideas recently to help combat it.

Recently, the circuit announced that it is set to allow players to use rangefinders in a bid to try and cure the problem. In the interview with SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, Glover listed the use of measuring devices as one way to help speed of play and, although Morikawa disagrees with the AimPoint ban, the introduction of rangefinders is something he would use if it were allowed.

"The PGA Championship allows it and I normally -- I use it and I just shoot the number just to like quicken things up," explained the two-time Major winner.

"I would use it. It wouldn't really add more time because I would do it first thing, I would be out of it. Then as he's (caddie) walking things off, it would be like as if he would normally walk it off in any other tournament that we can't use it.

"It helps more from the fact when you're out of position. Like not really in the fairways I don't think it's going to change anything. I don't think it's the end solution to changing our pace of play from if you had five hours and 20 minutes to four and a half hours, right? It's not going to shave 45 minutes off our time for pace of play.

"I know a lot of people complained when we were or when the Tour was here a few weeks ago how slow it was, but when you have a course in front of you that is that difficult and the winds are up and the conditions are that tough, it's just going to play slower, like there's no way around it. I get it, guys are slower than others and sometimes it takes too long, but tough conditions make it play slower no matter what. It's going to happen that way."