Collin Morikawa set to compete in Masters despite persistent back injury
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Collin Morikawa is prepared to compete in the Masters this week, despite managing a persistent back injury and having withdrawn from the previous week’s Valero Texas Open.
“The honest truth is I’m taking it day by day,” Morikawa stated on Monday. “It’s not exactly where I want to be, and it’s unfortunate, but that’s just the body, and I can’t push it.”
Morikawa, who secured victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, has not participated in any events since exiting the Players Championship after just one hole due to back spasms. The two-time major champion mentioned on Monday that he has undergone MRIs on his back, noting that it’s “nothing worse than what it’s been” and he anticipates being able to manage it.
“It’s been a little bit of a mental battle just trying to trust where it’s at,” Morikawa remarked. “The back actually feels fine. It’s just other parts of the body not cooperating a little bit how I want.”
On Monday, Morikawa arrived at Augusta National for practice. He indicated that he has been able to hit balls at home and recognized that the mental aspect will be more challenging than the physical. Navigating this particular golf course while feeling uncomfortable does not favor the pursuit of a green jacket.
“I had never gone through this. I had hurt myself before and never had to worry about swinging on the golf course because a lot of the stuff I had done — I hurt myself in the gym,” Morikawa explained. “When you hurt yourself swinging, it’s a completely different beast of itself because you just don’t know. There’s a little bit of a commitment, trust.”
Morikawa was on track for one of his stronger seasons in recent years. In addition to his win at Pebble Beach, he has recorded two other top-10 finishes this season and currently ranks first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach.
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I can’t do anything foolish and push my body in a way it doesn’t want to do,” Morikawa noted. “Sometimes you’ve got to find alternative ways to navigate a golf course. So I’m kind of devising a different game plan than I think I’ve used in the past. Some shots that you might have been able to hit previously, you might not be able to execute right now. But yeah, it’s a work in progress.”
Despite the challenge, Morikawa remains hopeful that he can deliver a strong performance this week, particularly since his short game and putting feel as good as ever.
“I just got to be able to get the ball [to the green], which is like the opposite of how I’ve been, I think, my entire career,” Morikawa said. “It’s just part of it. I think however and whenever I get through this little back issue and body stuff, just go out and trust the things that I’ve been doing, and hopefully they click again.”
