Collin Morikawa Fires a 63, Shares Second Place at the Travelers

The Cal alum is 11 under par through 36 holes; Tom Kim holds a 2-stroke lead at minus-13.
Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Cal alum Collin Morikawa continued his recent strong play Friday with a second-round score of 7-under 63 to share second place at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands at Cromwell, Conn.

Morikawa shot a 6-under 29 over the front nine and added a seventh birdie on the back to complete a bogey-free round.

Ranked No. 7 in the world and having clinched a spot on the U.S. team that will compete at the Paris Olympics this summer, Morikawa shot an opening-round 66 on the par-70 course.

Morikawa, who sank a 30-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole, is clearly feeling good about the state of his game.

"I know where the ball's going, so that helps," Morikawa said. "Obviously, I want to be able to get the win and that's kind of what's stopping me from being on a great run. It's a big mental mindset. When you know where the ball's going it's a lot easier to play golf, and I've kind of been able to trust that."

The 27-year-old has 12 birdies and just one bogey through 36 holes of the event which had a total purse of $20 million. Morikawa is still seeking his first PGA Tour victory in 2024 but has six top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish at the Memorial early this month, a tie for third at the Masters and a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship.

He is tied with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who carded a 64 on his 28th birthday, and Akshay Bhatia, who had a 65.

Tom Kim, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Friday, followed his opening-round 62 with a 65 on Friday and holds a two-stroke lead at 13 under.

Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas and Sungai Im share sixth place at 9 under. Lowry and Robert McIntyre, who is tied for ninth, each posted rounds of 62 on Friday.

Cal grad Max Homa shot a 1-over 71 and is tied for 58th place at plus-1 in the no-cut event. South Korean Byeong Hun An, who attended Cal for year more than a decade ago, played seven holes Thursday before withdrawing due to an illness.


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Jeff Faraudo
JEFF FARAUDO

Jeff Faraudo was a sports writer for Bay Area daily newspapers since he was 17 years old, and was the Oakland Tribune's Cal beat writer for 24 years. He covered eight Final Fours, four NBA Finals and four Summer Olympics.