Colin Morikawa Says No to Proposed New Lucrative 'Super' Golf Tour

Former Cal star Collin Morikawa, who is the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world, said on Tuesday that he will stick with the PGA Tournament instead of accepting an offer to play in the new lucrative Saudi-backed Super Golf League.

"I'm all for the PGA Tour," Morikawa said Tuesday, according to ESPN.com, in a news conference in advance of this week's Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.. "I've been a pro for two and a half years. My entire life I've thought about the PGA Tour. I've thought about playing against Tiger [Woods], beating his records, whatever, something that might not even be breakable. But I've never had another thought of what's out there, right? I've never thought about anything else, it's always been the PGA Tour."

Morikawa, 25, has won two of the past seven major golf championships, and he is one of several high-profile PGA Tour players – along with Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and others – who are considering offers to play in a new golf tour being fronted by by former golf star Greg Norman.

Players from the European Tour (currently called the DP World Tour) have also been approached by the proposed new golf tour, and England's Lee Westwood said earlier this month that he has signed a non-disclosure agreement with organizers of the new tour.

Saudi-funded golf tournaments are scheduled to be played in Britain and the Middle East to begin a 10-event series that will be part of the Asian Tour and the Super Golf League. Norman suggested that future events in the new league will take place in the United States.

But Morikawa believes the best players will decline the offer.

"Right now, you look at the best players that I see and they're all sticking with the PGA Tour and that's where I kind of stay and that's where I belong," Morikawa said, according to ESPN.com. "I'm very happy to be here."

The new Saudi-backed league reportedly will offer a pot of more than $2 billion (1.5 billion pounds), according to Golf Monthly, with some reports suggesting some top golfers are being offered up to $30 million in up-front money to join. However, a number of the top golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Keopke, have made statements suggesting they are not interesting joining the new tour. according to the Golf Monthly report

Morikawa, 25, said never seriously considered leaving the PGA Tour for the new league.

"Look, so we had conversations," Morikawa said. "That was later down the road. There's guys that have been earlier. I took my time, I wanted to find out more details. Yeah, there's money. I don't think anyone's signing up for free, right?

"The only way I can start thinking about other tours, other leagues, whatever you call it, I need concrete evidence. I need to be able to see a sheet in front of me and know what's out there, right? And as of now, for what I know, I don't know what's out there. All I've heard are rumors, all I've heard is talk and that's hard to do."

PGA Tour pro Kramer Hickok said 17 players have committed to jumping from the PGA Tour to the Super Golf League, according to a report by Golf Digest..

"You’re going to see a lot of big names jump over there. I think there’s already been 17 guys that have jumped over and I can’t say who they are, but there’s going to be some big names going over there," Hickok said on the Stripe Show podcast, according to the Golf Digest report. "Look, I mean, from what I’ve heard the money’s very, very appealing. You’re only gonna have 12-14 events; those events are gonna have purses; you’re not going to have to deal with missing a cut anymore; there’s only going to be 40 players. And 10 of those 14 events will be in the States. Signing bonuses, huge, huge purses—it’s going to be very appealing for some of these guys. Yeah you’ll see some big names for sure.”

Morikawa needs more information.

"I want to know the details, too," Morikawa said. "I don't want to keep hearing it from other people saying you need to go talk to this person, you need to do this, this is what they have, this is what they don't have. If there were more details, maybe I would have thought about it more, maybe I would have given it more of a decision, and I would have had to sit down and ask more questions. But it's hard to ask questions when you're not getting answers, either."

Cover photo by Eric Schlegel, USA TODAY Sports

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by searching: @si.calsportsreport or going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport