Collin Morikawa entered the weekend at the 126th U.S. Open firmly back in contention, but the two-time major champion acknowledged that lingering effects from a back injury continue to impact his game at Shinnecock Hills.
Morikawa opened the championship with a 3-over 73 before producing one of the best rounds of the tournament Friday, carding a 5-under 65 to climb to 2-under overall. The strong recovery moved him within striking distance of leader Wyndham Clark, but his latest comments revealed that physical limitations remain a concern despite the improved score.
“It’s still a little uncomfortable,” Morikawa said after his second-round performance. “I can’t hit every shot that I want to hit.”
The world No. 7 has been dealing with the issue since March, when he withdrew from THE PLAYERS Championship after suffering a back injury. Although he returned to competition and posted strong finishes, including a T7 at the Masters and a T4 at the RBC Heritage, Morikawa admitted his game is still not fully back to normal.
Collin Morikawa Says Back Injury Still Limits His Shot-Making at U.S. Open
+4.1 SG: Tee to Green +3.3 SG: Putting 13/14 Fairways hit 14/18 Greens hit
7 Birdies 2 Bogeys
65 (-5) marks his career-low U.S. Open round in 8 starts.
Morikawa’s latest update came after one of the best rounds of the week at Shinnecock Hills.
Following Thursday’s opening-round 73, he rebounded with seven birdies during a 65 that moved him into contention heading into the weekend. Despite the turnaround, Morikawa said the injury continues to affect certain parts of his game.
“Yeah, it’s still a little uncomfortable,” Morikawa said. “I’m hitting it a lot better. Last week was huge for me. I felt like I made progress after that.”
The former Open Championship and PGA Championship winner explained that his recovery is ongoing and that some shots remain difficult to execute.
“I can’t hit every shot that I want to hit,” Morikawa said.
He pointed to a specific example involving iron shots in right-to-left winds.
“Usually, my go-to shot with right-to-left wind with an iron would be to cut something up, know how it’s going to spin, and just play that shot,” he said. “I can’t quite cut it as much as I want.”
Morikawa added that softer conditions at Shinnecock have helped offset some of those limitations.
“Thankfully, the greens are soft enough right now where I don’t have to hit the high spinner, but I’m able to hit enough shots,” he said. “I think I proved it to myself today that I have enough tools to go out and play well.”
His comments echoed concerns he raised earlier in the season. Ahead of the Masters, Morikawa described the physical and mental challenges of returning after an injury sustained during a golf swing.
“When you hurt yourself swinging, it’s a completely different beast because you just don’t know,” he said at Augusta. “There’s a little bit of a commitment, trust issue.”
Collin Morikawa Adjusts Equipment During U.S. Open Turnaround
GettyCollin Morikawa of the United States
Morikawa’s improvement at Shinnecock was not only about health.
After struggling around the greens during the opening round, he revealed that an equipment decision also contributed to his scoring issues.
Morikawa said he entered the tournament with a modified wedge after practicing on soft conditions earlier in the week. The change did not work as expected once tournament play began.
“I usually kind of [take] a little bit of the bounce off. Stupid of me to do it,” Morikawa said.
According to Morikawa, he expected the course to firm up significantly and believed the lower-bounce wedge would perform better. Instead, he felt uncomfortable with several chip shots during the first round.
“Just yesterday, average chip shot,” he said. “Partially bad technically, but partially [it] felt like everything was just going to bounce.”
After completing his first round Friday morning, Morikawa switched back to the wedge he had used throughout the season.
“I went back to my old wedge just after I finished up this morning,” he said. “Whether it worked or not, it just gave me enough confidence.”
The adjustment paid immediate dividends as Morikawa chipped and putted far more effectively during his second-round 65.
Now sitting at 2-under heading into the weekend, Morikawa remains in the hunt for what would be his first U.S. Open title and the third leg of the career Grand Slam. While the scorecard suggests momentum is building, his latest comments make clear that he is still managing the physical effects of the injury that first surfaced three months ago.
Collin Morikawa Shares Concerning Injury Update at US Open