World No.1 Scottie Scheffler ‘Doesn’t Scare’ Collin Morikawa at All Amid Masters Competitive Struggles

To many, it might appear that Collin Morikawa would have a tough task ahead on Sunday at the Masters. Why? Well, the professional is currently trailing world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler after the end of the third round at Augusta National. But, surprisingly, the golfer himself doesn’t seem to think so, as he came out candid just hours ago.

During an interview post the third round at the ongoing major championship, Morikawa was asked about his mindset ahead of the Sunday clash. Meanwhile, as he was replying to the query, he made sure to express how he wasn’t scared of chasing down Scheffler on the final day, all the while exuding confidence in himself!

A confident Collin Morikawa sheds all fear for Sunday

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t scare me,” confessed a confident Morikawa as he expressed belief in his gameplay. Adding on, he said, “I still know that at my best and at what I truly believe I can do,” before going ahead to point out how he could have tied with Scheffler or better yet, overtaken him on the scoreboard while highlighting the flawless second nine with a score of 36 he had managed to rake in. “I saw a little glimpse of that early on today,” he recounted, “And just didn’t hit the shots I needed to. Didn’t really make the putts on the back nine, or else I would be even with him or 1-up.”

Doubling down on his plans for Sunday, the 27-year-old divulged how everything would depend on the front nine, all the while drawing a comparison with Saturday’s conditions. Elaborating on the same, he said, “I think the conditions are going to be pretty mellow for the most part compared to what we’ve seen all week. Probably similar to today. So, you know, I think it’s going to depend on how the first five to nine holes go.”

But even so, he made sure to give credit where it was due. Dishing out praises for the fellow American Pro, Morikawa admitted, “But, yeah, look, Scottie is the No. 1 player in the world for a reason, and what he’s done over the past few years is incredible.” Regardless, he was thankful as well as hopeful of clinching a win on the final day of play, as he said, “Thankfully I’ve got one more day. I got 18 more holes to figure it out and hopefully, you know, play some really great golf.”

Well, he sure is close to the current leader of the tournament, as he closely tails behind Scheffler at T2. Interestingly, the professional was in the fifth position going into the moving day but was able to dish out an amazing 3-under 69 to increase his chances of a third major title!

Morikawa eyes a maiden Masters win

Looking back, the 2-time major champ played his first Masters back in 2020, after which he took part in it a total of four times, with the current appearance being his fifth one. However, despite clinching a victory at the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship, he was unable to do the same at Augusta, with his best coming off back in 2022, where he finished T5.

What’s more, he followed it with a T10 finish at the 2023 edition of the major. Well, if everything goes well and he is able to add more to the 12 birdies he made over the three days of play, Morikawa has a significant chance of propelling past Scheffler, who is just one stroke ahead of him. That’s not all. Surprisingly, the two are also slated to tee alongside each other at 2:35 PM ET, making the finale all the more exciting. Surely, the fans are in for a treat!