LOS ANGELES — Collin Morikawa of the United States looks on during a practice round prior to the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 12, 2023. | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
The two-time major champion withdrew from the Memorial but dropped a surprising admission ahead of the U.S. Open in Los Angeles.
Collin Morikawa is ready for the bright lights of Los Angeles.
He withdrew from the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago, citing a back injury, but he now feels “pain-free” ahead of the 123rd U.S. Open.
“We are swinging fine; there is no pain, swinging great,” Morikawa said in his pre-tournament press conference. “I might be teeing up kinda weirdly this week, so don’t take too much into that, but it is just precautionary.”
Morikawa indicated that he will have to “squat down” to put his tee in the ground to begin each hole, which could make for an interesting visual.
“Same warmup, same routine, doing everything the same,” Morikawa said.
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Collin Morikawa of the United States speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 13, 2023.
“We do so much leaning with our back and bending over that it is just built-in bad movement patterns,” Morikawa added. “For me, it is just being able to make sure I bend properly from the hip rather than putting too much stress. It is just precautionary with how I am moving, but swing-wise, there is no pain, which is great.”
Morikawa, a native of Southern California, has won a major championship in the Golden State before: the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
But he entered that tournament without any lingering injury concerns.
Yet, his back injury at the Memorial did not stem from his golf.
“We were in the gym warming up, doing some reactive exercises,” Morikawa said. “I went after it with my back, and it sucked because it felt like I was grinding for three days to put myself in contention, and we figured some things out Saturday afternoon, and that’s when you are excited to wake up [on Sunday].”
At the time of his withdrawal, Morikawa sat just two shots behind the 54-hole leaders.
“It was weird,” Morikawa added. “I wouldn’t say I have had back problems, but I have had a little back pain here and there. Nothing crazy. “
Morikawa tied for 5th at the 2022 U.S. Open at the Country Club at Brookline. He hopes his back does not bother him this week as he looks to claim his third major title overall and second in his home state.
Do you think the back issue will plague him this week? Chime in under the comments below.
