Collin Morikawa returns to Masters, ‘never felt this nervous’

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Collin Morikawa He has received two main championships and completed within the prime 5 in 5 others, so he has performed loads of golf with excessive stakes on the road.

That’s why Morikawa was so shocked by his anxiousness degree earlier than Thursday’s opening spherical of the ninetieth Masters.

“I mean, it all started when I woke up,” Morikawa stated. “I’ve never felt this nervous, like, in my life. I’ve played in majors. I’ve played in other events.”

But aside from two nine-hole apply rounds earlier this week at Augusta National Golf Club, Morikawa hadn’t performed since injuring his again after just one gap of play within the first spherical of the Players on March 12.

“I think it’s a trust factor, right?” Morikawa stated. “I think when it happened out on the course at the Players, there’s a certain doubt factor of, like, is this going to happen [or] is this not?”

The 29-year-old gutted via the primary 18 holes Thursday, posting a 2-over 74. He had 4 bogeys and two birdies and described it because the “toughest round I’ve ever played.”

“I’m just fighting,” Morikawa stated. “It’s a battle. I don’t think I’ve been able to get comfortable out there and [trust] the entire body. It’s not painful, but it’s not easy. I think walking has been the hardest part.”

Morikawa stated he has been hitting balls for the previous week and a half, however not comfortably.

“It’s just more like my head gets in the way, and the head can stop so much,” Morikawa stated. “When I teed it up on Tuesday on [the first hole]I honestly didn’t know if I was going to make contact. Warmup felt fine, everything.”

Although Morikawa’s again is not in ache, his legs “just don’t feel comfortable right now. … They don’t feel strong like they’re underneath me.”

Morikawa joked that he is in all probability the slowest-playing golfer within the discipline due to his ongoing anxiousness.

“I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other and kind of see how it all plays out,” Morikawa stated.

Morikawa, who received the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship, has been looking for one other main championship since. He appeared to be in a superb place to contend for a inexperienced jacket after successful the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb. 15. He tied for seventh within the Genesis Invitational and was solely fifth within the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The seven-time PGA Tour winner was first in strokes gained: method (1,066) and third in tee-to-green (1,646) coming into the week.

“I’m proud of the way things kind of played out,” Morikawa stated. “The expectations are kind of thrown out the window right now.”