Morikawa Says TGL Team Offer 'Almost' Beat Ryder Cup Call

The Ryder Cup Team USA star has accepted an offer to join the TGL's Los Angeles Golf Club

Collin Morikawa during the Zozo Championship in Japan
Collin Morikawa has likened his call to join the TGL's LA Golf Club to the one he took to join the US Ryder Cup team
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mike Hall
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Anticipation is building for the inaugural season of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL, which gets underway on 9 January.

However, for one of the 24 players on the roster, it appears the chance to play on one of its six teams could be among his career highlights.

Collin Morikawa has accepted an offer to join Los Angeles Golf Club for the tech-focused contest and even said the call compared to the one he took from Zach Johnson earlier in the year to join the US Ryder Cup team for the match at Marco Simone!

In video footage of Morikawa receiving the call from the team’s co-owner Alexis Ohanian, the two-time Major winner is asked if he’d like to join, and has no hesitation in responding: “Absolutely. I’m in. I just got chills through my body.

“I don’t think I’ve ever answered a call like this. I got my Ryder Cup call this year but this, I think this tops it, almost. Yeah, almost. We’re going to make some history. I’d love to be a part of the team. Thank you.”

That’s a big claim for a competition that hasn’t even begun yet, but to be fair to Morikawa, he hails from the city so there’ll undoubtedly be great pride in representing LA. Meanwhile, there does appear to be plenty for him to look forward to about competing for the team in the TGL.

After all, as well as Morikawa, many more of the world’s best players will participate, including Woods, McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. It promises to offer something different from more traditional competitions, too, taking place each week over two hours in a custom-built arena, and with a 64 feet by 46 feet simulator and a short-game complex at the heart of the fast-paced action.

Ohanian responded to Morikawa’s enthusiastic acceptance of the offer by saying: “I’m so excited, so grateful. We know how much you like Los Angeles. We know the fans are going to be super-excited. Folks are not ready for this. TGL is going to be golf like they’ve never seen it before and I know you’re going to be great.”

The call concluded with Morikawa saying: “Can’t wait to rep LA and LA Golf Club. I think we’re going to do some great things."

Confirmation of Morikawa’s TGL team comes hot on the heels of the news that Thomas had become the first player to sign for a TGL team. The two-time Major winner has joined Atlanta Drive GC.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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