Amidst the $75M Race, Collin Morikawa Strays Away From His Red-Hot Start to Lament His Ryder Cup Woes: ‘I Had Two Years..’

Collin Morikawa recently finished the BMW Championship with a shared 25th position on a score of 3-under and secured a single-shot lead for the Tour Championship. This is 9 strikes behind the 10-shot lead allotted to Scottie Scheffler, who stood first in the FedEx Cup rankings after the BMW Championship. 

Having started the tournament 9 strikes behind, Collin Morikawa dazzled fans with his performance in the first round of the Tour Championship. In the post-round press conference, Morikawa spoke about how his swing has improved in the last few weeks. He discussed his hopes for winning the Tour Championship. The two-time major winner also broke silence on his prospects of being picked for the Ryder Cup and his conversations with Zach Johnson regarding this.

Collin Morikawa on the Ryder Cup

While Morikawa didn’t exactly start the tournament in the best position, he has done extremely well in the first round. The 26-year-old bagged an eagle quite early in the game and scored three consecutive birdies towards the end. This was a delightful surprise for his fans, who have been rooting for him. Apparently, his swing has improved a lot.

Speaking of his swing in the conference, he admitted he found something specific that made him feel like he had a lot of control. Responding to a question, he said, “Yeah, we found it on Tuesday, and I’m not going to tell you.”

The discussion then reached Collin Morikawa’s prospects with the Ryder’s Cup. In response to a question about whether he has spoken to Zach Johnson about the Ryder Cup, Morikawa said no.

He added they haven’t been able to talk much after Detroit. Expanding on the topic, he said “Look, I had two years to get myself in that top 6 and we didn’t do it. So it is what it is.”

Morikawa didn’t really have any space in his mind to think about the Captain’s pick this time around. He sounded determined to secure his spot instead. “I want to win this tournament. I really do. It’s been too long. I want to find a way to win. Today definitely helped that.”

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Now let’s look at his first round of the FedEx’s Cup final playoff.

Birdies and Eagles – A noble mission

Collin Morikawa started the round off with the allotted 1-under and reached a score of 5-under by the time he finished the sixth hole. He scored an eagle on the sixth hole, which was a par-5.

When he moved past the 12th hole after scoring a birdie, he was already at an impressive 7-under. Then came his three consecutive birdies in the last three holes, leaving his round with a spectacular finish. The 61 he scored in the first round marks his career-low score on the PGA Tour, which was 62 until now.

The two-time major winner had announced a $1000 payoff for every birdie he scores to charity. He announced this to aid the wildfire victims in Maui. His genuine concern for the cause probably pushed him to outperform himself. 

Do you think Morikawa will take the FedEx Cup home? What do you think about his odds of playing the Ryder Cup? Tell us in the comments.

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