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Morikawa’s back didn’t seem to bother him on Thursday at The Sentry as the 2-time major champion went low.
Collin Morikawa looked strong on Thursday at The Sentry tournament in Kapalua, Maui. He fired off a bogey-free 8-under 65 to sit tied for the lead as he entered the clubhouse. Sahith Theegala would later post a 9-under for the solo lead.
Morikawa is making his fifth start at the event and is looking to close the deal after what happened at last year’s tournament. He struggled the final day and watched as Jon Rahm bolted past him for the trophy.
Glimmers of his A-game finally showed at the ZOZO in the PGA Tour Fall season. He felt like he was returning to his old self.
“I’ve had the belief that I can do it, and I’ve had the belief that I can play well, but you got to be able to put together four solid rounds,” Morikawa said. “Part of it is knowing where the golf ball’s going to go. Stats-wise, it said my ball striking was fine; it’s not like I dropped off the roof, but the misses were worse.”
After the 2023 season, Morikawa ranked No. 94 in scrambling, No. 138 scrambling from the rough and No. 117 from the fringe. In short, he put himself in some bad positions.
However, he ranked No. 7 in GIR (greens in regulation), hitting 71% of them. While much of his game was there, the two-time major champion had a glaring weakness.
“If you know where you’re going to miss it, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “Best players out here in the world that are winning and contending every week, they know where they’re going to miss it. They hit maybe a little bit more quality of golf shots, but slowly, I’m learning where the ball’s going to go; that’s the biggest thing.”
He is learning more about adjusting on the fly and planning accordingly.
Thursday saw him record six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 9th. He hit 17 of 18 greens on Thursday, which tied for the top of the field. He didn’t miss very often. So, this newfound knowledge hasn’t yet been put to the test.
Morikawa is looking for vengeance in Hawaii and his first round showed he’s not playing around.
But he has a lot of company near the top. He is part of a five-way tie with Viktor Hovland, Camilo Villegas, Sugjae Im and Jason Day on shot back of Theegala.
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.
