Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Pinehurst No. 2 forced Morikawa to get creative in his opening U.S. Open round, but his finish allowed him to gain momentum.
Collin Morikawa signed for an even-par 70 to begin the 124th U.S. Open. It was a day of ups and downs for the two-time major winner as Pinehurst No. 2 gave him a run for his money.
He recorded five birdies, a bogey, and two double bogeys. Morikawa struggled to gain momentum, but he flipped the switch after his double on the par-3 15th. The California native went birdie-birdie on 17 and 18 to finish on a high note.
A bunker hole-out for birdie got him started, and on 18 he made an impressive birdie putt from 31 feet.
“I felt a lot of emotion on the last two holes just because birdies aren’t coming anyone’s way, and it’s nice to finish on that note,” Morikawa said.
“Hit two poor shots and one bad bunker shot. It wasn’t that bad on 9. A pretty bad putt for my par putt on 15. But other than that, I felt like I played pretty good. Very, very happy I got out with even par after today.”
Throughout the first round, the broadcast showed shot after shot of players’ balls rolling off the greens. Pinehurst No. 2 played tough today, and Morikawa felt that.
He made three straight pars to begin his day. The 27-year-old bogeyed his fourth hole but then birdied the next two. A double on nine saw him make the turn at 1-over. He got to even par after the par-5 10th when he made his third birdie. Four straight pars followed before the 15th showed its teeth.
Despite being a part of some carnage, Morikawa said the course played fair.
“This is one of those courses where you literally take your medicine, and if you have eight feet for par, you have eight feet for par.”
Morikawa did not play badly. He hit 13-of-14 fairways and 11-of-18 greens in regulation. The six-time PGA Tour winner gained 1.44 strokes off the tee and 0.97 on the greens. There were just a few minor mistakes that proved costly.
Nonetheless, those two birdies to end his round gave him a massive boost of confidence. He needed to see those putts fall to head into Friday with a good mindset.
“Now I’m not as worried. I know it’s going to be tough,” Morikawa said.
“I know you’re going to make bogeys. I knew every hole out here is so tough that if I let it affect me, you might as well call it over and walk it on in. I felt like where the game is at, I still could climb back.”
Morikawa will begin his second round of the U.S. Open in the afternoon wave on Friday at 1:25 p.m. ET with Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
