Tiger Woods' Las Vegas poker night was 'a dream', says Collin Morikawa... as PGA Tour star claims legend's ego is behind US Open mistake

Collin Morikawa admitted that playing poker with golf legend Tiger Woods was 'a dream'.

Morikawa got invited to Woods' star-studded Tiger Jam event in Las Vegas last week. A-list guests enjoyed golf and poker, among several activities to help raise money for his foundation.

While Morikawa was stunned by Woods' ability on the course during a clinic they held for young golfers, he raved more about spending time with his idol on the poker table.

'I've been lucky to have the opportunity to do something like that and talk to him and hang out,' Morikawa said in a press conference ahead of this week's Memorial Tournament. 

'Because you go back and look at your 15-year-old self and say: "You're going to spend a few hours with Tiger playing poker, hitting a few golf balls on the range, picking his brain, screwing around", that's a dream, right? So that's pretty cool.'

Although Morikawa gushed about spending time with Woods in Las Vegas, a clip of the golf legend at the poker event raised eyebrows among golf fans earlier this week. 

The 15-time major winner was caught on camera by American professional poker player Phil Hellmuth during his Tiger Jam poker charity event in Sin City. 

Woods answers questions to camera, but the clip has raised eyebrows among his supporters, with some questioning whether he'd had too much to drink.

At the start of the clip, Woods stares into the camera and has been likened to a waxwork model, but other fans were quick to jump to his defense to insist that he was just having a good night out in Vegas.

Meanwhile, Morikawa reflected on the upcoming major championship at Pinehurst this month as he acknowledged how Woods' 'ego' may lead to his detriment in the US Open.

Woods played just four times on the PGA Tour since undergoing a reconstructive ankle surgery in April 2023. He teed up at the Hero World Challenge, Genesis Invitational, Masters, and PGA Championship.

Although Woods still shows flashes of the skills that earned him his notoriety, there has been doubt about his ability to walk 18 holes behind the lingering effects of a high-speed car crash in 2021.

However, Woods has adamantly ruled out the chance of him ever using a golf cart during PGA Tour competition in the past.  

With the PGA allowing the usage of Carts for select players, the two-time major champion was asked if Woods is letting his pride keep him from making the right decision. 

'Yeah, but his ego is pretty big, as is all of ours,' Morikawa replied. 'I think he wants to keep doing it until he can't and maybe there's something about a golf cart that ain't it [for him]. I'd be taking a golf cart if they allowed me.'

'The skill and the feel are still all there, right?' Morikawa added.

'So you wouldn't know, but you add that over time, over 18 holes, over the course of 72 holes and the entire week of prep. The guy has been through a lot.'