Collin Morikawa withdrew from the 2023 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday due to back spasms before his 12:55 p.m. final-round tee time. He had shot a third-round 68 and was just two strokes off the lead but injured himself while stretching. Morikawa explained that a muscle in his lower back “just kind of gave out” while doing some reflex exercises. He had been quickly trying to reach down to pick something and twisted his back awkwardly.

He mentioned that he had never experienced anything like it before, despite having hurt his back briefly in the past. He added that it was especially frustrating since he hadn’t even warmed up or done any pre-round exercises. He returned for the US Open in two weeks and has played 31 events ever since. He even won the 2023 ZOZO Championship. Currently, the 27 YO is teeing off at the 2025 Sentry, and well, there are possible chances of his pain coming back in. He is also set to tee off in the new league launched by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in less than a week, but with this pain, the question is, will he be able to do so?

At the post-round presser at Kapalua, Maui, the American professional was asked about his back pain. To which, he replied, “No, no, no, like, last — like, ’23, yeah. I played a week after in L.A., and you feel fine, right? But it’s just the back of your mind, you kind of stray away from it sometimes. It’s just saying, okay, you know, you can build space, the left hip can go back, turn, and that it was just then able to use my hands for the cut.”

Collin Morikawa’s game is known for its precision and consistency, particularly with his ball striking. He has taken up a new iron routine which requires him to rotate and stay in the same position. He is doing this to make a better form for this season. When asked if the rotation scared him and caused him to become handsy, he added, “If you don’t rotate you kind of slide or you kind of stall, right? You have to use your hands and you have to kind of rotate and flip your hands in a way, and that’s just not me. For me, it’s turning hard and holding the face. So all of last year there were good parts, but it still didn’t feel like I could just kind of throw darts, and we’re slowly getting back to that, which is nice.”

Although the back pain mentions have been causing concern for him to be a part of the TGL, where his spot has already been confirmed in the Los Angeles Golf Club, it looks like his new form really might be working for him. And honestly, if he remains strong-willed enough, he will not only appear in the new league’s first match on January 7 but also excel there.

Collin Morikawa takes solo second in The Sentry

Two rounds of the first signature event of the PGA Tour have already concluded. Colin Morikawa has been fairing pretty well, and he might as well be able to achieve his first win, after over a year. He opened the first round on Thursday with a bogey-free round. However, he could have done better. After carding seven birdies, his score was a 7-under. 

Entering the Friday round in the top 3 of the leaderboard, he continued his momentum and got even better. He carded nine birdies in the second round and is tied for solo second, just one stroke behind Hideki Matsuyama. Had it not been for the bogey on the sixth hole, he had chances of entering the penultimate round, tied for the lead. Nonetheless, he still has a chance to clinch the trophy. Do you think Collin Morikawa will be able to grab his seventh PGA Tour victory on Sunday? Stay tuned to find out!