After a disappointing Sunday at Augusta National this year, Collin Morikawa talked about how “greed” cost him a chance at winning a Green Jacket.
Collin Morikawa ready for PGA Championship pressure after Augusta National mistakes
Morikawa contended at The Masters, but mistakes down the stretch cost him. He believes he has learned from those and is ready to win again.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Mistakes down the stretch sealed his fate, specifically on the 9th and 11th holes, where he got too aggressive with his approach play.
But Morikawa, after firing a 4-under 67 at the PGA Championship on Saturday, has a share of the 54-hole lead with Xander Schauffele. He also believes he has learned from his previous missteps.
“I learned a lot over this past month, over these past two years, over the past five years of being a pro,” Morikawa said.
“I think everything that I’ve gone through over the past couple of years, I’m ready for these moments. A month ago [at Augusta], I felt like I was ready. Made a couple of errors. Tomorrow, hopefully, we don’t.”
After bursting onto the scene at TPC Harding Park in 2020, when he won his first Wanamaker Trophy, Morikawa added the Claret Jug to his resume the following year. It seemed as if more majors would undoubtedly follow, but they haven’t.
Instead, he has had numerous close calls, including at this year’s Masters. He also has three other top-10 finishes in majors since his triumph at the 2021 Open Championship.
“I’ve just got to be focused on myself,” Morikawa added.
“Look, I’ve played against all these guys. It’s not like any of these guys are new. They all have their accolades within themselves, and really anyone can go low.”
Valhalla has produced record low-scoring conditions, as Schauffele and Shane Lowry have each carded 9-under 62s this week. Fifteen players sit at 10-under or better through 54 holes, a major championship record, per Elias Sports Bureau.
Six players also sit within two shots of the lead, which, funny enough, has not happened since the 2020 PGA Championship.
Despite that, Morikawa intends to stick to his game plan, which has worked well so far.
“I’m going to take it one shot at a time,” Morikawa said.
“If I need to press, it’s going to be in the last two to three holes if I need to. I [need to] stick to the game plan I’ve been working through; it’s been working. It’s put me in a tie for the lead today through three rounds. So I’ve got a job to do tomorrow for 18.”
Nothing equates to the pressure felt on a Sunday afternoon at a major championship. Players will hit poor shots, but it depends on how they bounce back. Whoever mitigates their mistakes while taking advantage of their opportunities usually emerges victorious.
Morikawa knows that, but he let his mind get ahead of him at Augusta National.
“I think looking back at Augusta, I felt sharp in everything, but I feel like I could have had a little bit of self-talk before I went out on that first tee and really just not got ahead of myself,” Morikawa said.
“If I hit a bad shot, I don’t get ahead and try something new on the next shot because I hit a bad one. It’s just a poor swing, poor effort, go on to the next and try and execute the next one.”
Hopefully, for Morikawa’s sake, he arrives at Valhalla mentally sharp after giving himself a quick 60-second pep talk. But at the end of the day, the old adage in golf remains the same: the most important shot is the next one.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
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