The biggest story of the day from round one of The Players Championship is that Collin Morikawa withdrew after just one hole.
The reason why was painfully obvious. Video showed Morikawa took a practice swing and immediately felt discomfort. After a short meeting with his trainer, it was determined that he couldn’t go any further in the competition.
Collin Morikawa has withdrawn from @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/HsffCRoKH4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2026
Morikawa gave a statement after the round saying that he wasn’t in pain until that moment:
“I felt fine in warm-up. Like, nothing’s been any signs of back problems. And teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone. Like I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
The WD caused a raucous for gamblers
Morikawa was a popular choice to win The Players or at least contend.
Our MGS power rankings had him listed at No. 1, and Vegas listed him as having the third-best odds to take home the title.
All of that went out the window when he was forced to withdraw early in the morning before most of the field had hit a single shot.
But what happens to bets or those who chose Morikawa in fantasy?
FanDuel voided all bets on Morikawa. For DraftKings, bets showed up as a loss but then are refunded. In the case of a parlay, the odds are adjusted and the bet still hits if all the other legs win.
Sportsbooks generally refund tickets on early exits such as this one, so that part isn’t a big deal.
However, those who play daily fantasy on DraftKings couldn’t replace Morikawa.
Collin Morikawa has withdrawn from The Players Championship.
— DraftKings Support (@DK_Assist) March 12, 2026
For Daily Fantasy, this is considered an inherent risk and he will be scored with the stats accrued before the withdrawal.
There are also plenty of golf pools and leagues that have “one and done” systems. Those early WDs are painful.
Morikawa was taking plenty of heat with some even suggesting that he was “soft” for not trying to play through injury.
I hope Collin enjoyed his 2 weeks of not being hated by the golf community.
— RB (@RBaroff427) March 12, 2026
Sean’s take
If anyone is legitimately upset about this, I think that is pitiful.
There are risks with betting on sports. That is the exact reason why people do it. The guy got hurt on a practice swing. Things like this happen. You’ll survive.
I guarantee you Morikawa is more upset than anyone who is gambling on the tournament.
There is probably a conversation to be had about injury transparency/reporting prior to events. Golf has been prone to guys trying to play hurt and then withdrawing quickly (although who knows whether that was the case here).
With all of the gambling scandals happening in other sports, the Tour should be more proactive in this area.
But for the time being, we can all leave Morikawa alone here.
Top Photo Caption: Morikawa tees off in The Players Championship. (GETTY IMAGES/Ben Jared)
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