DETROIT — Collin Morikawa's got a 1,000-watt smile, but there's some bite in there, too.

Morikawa, the No. 5-ranked player in the world, has had a couple of public dustups with the media this season, including once when he was criticized for not talking to the press after finishing runner-up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and then this week, when he got into it with a national reporter over a story about his latest caddie change.

Morikawa spoke to the media after Thursday's opening round of the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club, even though he wasn't among the leaders after shooting a 3-under 69 that featured good ball-striking and horrific putting.

Morikawa said it's his obligation to say something when he feels like the media is being unfair.

"I think everyone should, and that's a trait that (we) should learn how to do," Morikawa said. "You have to stand up for yourself. ... I have to stand up for myself because I'm not going to let someone throw little jabs at me and just make me into someone I'm not, because I know who I am and that's all that matters. I know my people, my team, my family know who I am. But this whole perception out there right now is just, it's a little ridiculous."

Morikawa, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour with two major championships (the PGA Championship and British Open), is back in Detroit for the second time, first since losing in a playoff to Rickie Fowler in 2023.

He hasn't won since October 2023, and now is working with a fill-in caddie (a former teammate at Cal, and a pro golfer himself), after splitting with Joe Greiner after just five tournaments.

Morikawa split with longtime caddie JJ Jakovac in April.

He's unsure who'll caddie for him moving forward, including at the British Open next month. He also isn't certain of just what he's looking for in his next looper.

"It's a relationship," Morikawa said. "It's like asking a 20-year-old or 15-year-old, what does your future wife look like, right? There's a lot of things you could say, but just because you say it doesn't mean that's actually what comes together. It's a partnership. We both give and we both take.

"For me, it's just being able to be comfortable out there trusting them and just having a good time. It's hard because everyone's so different. You spend so much time with them that, you know, you learn the ins and outs of someone."

Morikawa, 28, had an up-and-down round Thursday, including an eagle on his front nine, at the par-5 17th. He hit a 3-wood from 277 yards over the front bunker, and it rolled to within 3 inches of the cup. It nearly was the first albatross of Morikawa's life. He also had an eagle putt at the par-5 seventh, but settled for a birdie.

Of his putting, though, he said he, "putted like a blind man," and is considering changing his grip for Friday. He had three three-putts in a five-hole span on his closing nine Thursday.

Birdies welcome

Frustration got the best of a lot of players at the U.S. Open at Oakmont earlier this month. Wyndham Clark, a former U.S. Open winner, took his anger on some lockers in the Oakmont clubhouse.

Clark was more than happy to get to Detroit Golf Club this week, and go all-out trying to make birdies, rather than worrying about scrambling for pars.

"You know, each major course has been very difficult. ... Every signature event has been very difficult," Clark said. "So it is very nice to have a course where birdie is more likely — 2, 3 under isn't necessarily a good score where lately it's been a great score. So it's nice to see some birdies.

"It's nice for us players to sometimes shoot low scores."

Clark, 31, who hasn't had a top-10 finish since March, opened with a 6-under 66 that was bogey-free. He played alongside early leader Min Woo Lee, who shot a 9-under 63 that includes 11 birdies and two bogeys.

Seizing the opportunity

Hayden Springer wasn't sure he'd get into the Rocket this week. He even played the Monday qualifier out at Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills, and shot a benign 1-under 71 that left him nowhere close to qualifying.

But shortly after he finished his round, Kevin Helm, executive director of the Michigan PGA, had the fun task of telling Springer that he was in the Rocket anyway. Springer was next in line on points, when Charley Hoffman WD'd.

And Springer went out and shot a 7-under 65 in Thursday's opening round of the Rocket.

Springer, 28, who tied for 10th at last year's Rocket Classic, had a six-hole stretch on his front nine that he played in 6 under, highlighted by a 10-foot eagle putt at the par-5 seventh.

©2025 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.