Blake Davis
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Collin Morikawa stood on the ninth tee box last month at Augusta National in a tie for the lead at the 2024 Masters. He was 10 holes away from slipping on the green jacket, which would have marked his third different major championship won in 17 starts.
While some were surprised by Morikawa’s presence on the leaderboard – given his poor form at the start of the year – he was not. Still, Morikawa didn’t win his first Masters, win the third Grand Slam of his career or defeat the beast that is Scottie Scheffler. But that doesn’t mean the first major championship of the year was a failure.
The two-time major champion reminded the general golfing public in April that he may not need to be at his best for his name to appear on a short list four times a year.
Ahead of next week’s Wells Fargo Championship and PGA Championship, CBS Sports caught up with Morikawa to discuss the start of the major championship season, the internal trade-off between satisfaction and disappointment, his carousel of swing coaches and what it will take to pursue number 1 in the world.
What were the 24 hours like after the Masters? Those immediate emotions.
Colin Morikawa: “There was a little frustration, [a little] motivation. Obviously I was frustrated because I had two holes that cost me at least staying in contention, and who knows what the end of the round could have been like, but those two holes really sucked. It sucked because when I was in this position before in the majors, I didn’t do that.
“I think it was the last two years of trying to find my swing and find that shot again, find that fade. But I was motivated because it was also a good stepping stone for me to know that it’s – I know it’s still there… I know I can still win easily, I just need to put the pieces together. Now, Scottie obviously has all the pieces, so I need to start putting them all together if I want to fight more often.
With a player of his caliber, I’m always interested in the internal balance between the satisfaction of playing for a major championship and the disappointment of falling short.
Morikawa: “It’s a balance – you have to really evaluate where your game is. If I felt like I played the best I could and that’s what I produced, then I have some problems. of pitches throughout the week That’s great. I know you want to win with your B and C game, so to speak, but you also want to know that when your A game is on, you. We are also winning. We’re not there yet, but we’re obviously in the right direction to hopefully get four good rounds in the next few months.”
You managed to show up at majors without your best — the 2022 US Open, this year’s Masters — and find something. To what do you credit this?
Morikawa: “At the end of the day, playing in the majors is about feeling comfortable, knowing how to play and just understanding what they represent. Fortunately, I managed to knock down at least that first one because, all the top players who don’t win one, they get asked that question for years on end – well, I think at least four times a year, and that’s not something you want keep listening.
“So for me, knowing that I’ve done this in the past and loving that stage where the best players will be and what they mean and the story behind them, sometimes it makes you focus a little more. you had it every week, but sometimes it just takes that setup to get it there.”
You joined forces with Mark Blackburn as your swing coach for a while, went it alone and now you’re back with Rick Sessinghaus. What did you learn about yourself during this time?
Morikawa: “I’ve learned a lot. Since I’ve been a pro, I’ve learned a lot about golf in general and the golf swing. I think for me, knowing what I had in the past, it’s really good. I know I can use that swing and win with it. .The problem is that I felt like I lost that swing, so I had to look for something new and look for new things with Mark, but I kind of got to the point where I wanted to go back to the old one and put the pieces back together – use the new and the old -. and knowing that my golf swing is still there. I just need to remember those little sensations to break like that, and it’s okay.”
Why did you and Rick break up in the first place?
Morikawa: “I think we split up because I was frustrated that everything we were trying wasn’t working, so I thought I should take a new path and I worked on a few events here and there with Mark, and I learned a lot. But then I realized that wasn’t how I wanted to do it. All coaches train very differently. They may know a lot and they may not know a lot, but that’s how they do it. where it wasn’t working for me, and I went back to the old one instead of looking for something new.
We heard top players like Viktor Hovland talk about taking everything out of their game and leaving no stone unturned and then someone like Xander Schauffele who admitted he was a little scared to make changes because it could backfire and turn out to be no beneficial. I’m wondering where you fall on that spectrum.
Morikawa: “I think I’ve done it all. I think with Mark, I was definitely looking for – that Viktor route. I’m back where there’s a lot of knowledge up there, and I just need to use it wisely. And that’s where Rick comes in, making sure that we’re focusing on the right things and making sure that come Thursday, I know what I’m trying to do. There’s no good player out there that’s a mechanical player that plays well consistently just thinking about their swing and exactly. position. When I went out and turned pro, there weren’t a lot of thoughts. I just went out, hit the ground running, and discovered that ignorance is bliss, and I’m just trying to get back to that state.”
It seems like everyone is chasing their own version of perfection, which might as well be Scottie Scheffler at the moment. You competed with him a few times last month. How much pressure does your game put on your opponents?
Morikawa: “It’s motivating me to figure it out faster and just get there. You can’t be sloppy around him – not that you can – but for someone who’s playing so well and continues to do so, you just know every pitch is where he wants it. That’s what I’m trying to do – the good ones will obviously be good, but that’s how we score the wrong shots. For him, he doesn’t. misses a lot of shots, but when he does, he’s in the right place. It’s close enough, and that’s what you do when you’re playing well, and he’s obviously playing very well.
What do you need to do to pursue it?
Morikawa: “I was able to hit my shots better. I was able to hit my cuts and miss in the right places. What he’s doing with his irons is obviously amazing, but I feel like I’ve been at a few points in my career so far where I’ve hit my irons like that and just I need to do this again and I know I can, and I know we are very close.
