The crisis was averted.
A unknown figure appeared from behind the Hyundai Genesis to the left of the tee box just as Thomas was ready to tee off on Riviera’s par-4 10th in the final round of the Genesis Invitational. Thomas raised up his head when a series of “whoas” entered his ears before his swing, and it was Collin Morikawa, one of his final-round playing companions.
Next on the tee …
Collin Morikawhoops. pic.twitter.com/3VooaBQLiN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 20, 2022
As he came into the tee box, Morikawa didn’t appear to notice Thomas was teeing off, and he leapt as soon as he realized Thomas was seconds away from hitting. When the gallery recognized who it was, “Collin” chants and a few laughs erupted, and Morikawa jumped into the tent, laughing as well.
Morikawa, on the other hand, would keep the smiles going by immediately shrugging off the incident by holing out for eagle on No. 10 and climbing the leaderboard.