Collin Morikawa's Back Holds Up as He Shoots a 74 at the Masters

Collin Morikawa’s back allowed him to play the opening round of the Masters on Thursday, which wasn’t a given entering play. Yes, he was able to navigate 18 holes at Augusta National, even if it didn’t go exactly the way the 29-year-old Cal grad hoped.

Morikawa shot a 2-over par 74 and will enter Friday’s second round in a tie for 40th place, seven strokes back of early co-leaders Sam Burns and Rory McIlroy, who is hoping to defend the title he won a year ago.

The world's seventh-ranked player, Morikawa was on the course for a competitive round for the first time since withdrawing due to back spasms after one hole of the first round of the Players Championship on March 10.

He pulled out of the Valero Texas Open last week because his back still wasn’t allowing him to go. Morikawa said this week that his back felt fine physically, but he would be dealing with the mental aspect of injury triggered by a practice swing a month ago.

"It all started when I woke up. I've never felt this nervous, like, in my life. I've played in majors," Morikawa told reporters after his round. "I've played in other events. I think it's a trust factor, right? I think when it happened out on the course at the Players, you know, there's a certain doubt factor of, like, is this going to happen, is this not?"

Morikawa made par on the first six holes Thursday, then sprinkled a pair of birdies into a round with four bogeys.

He said he has no physical pain, but admitted his legs don’t feel normal and he can’t yet trust his body. He had no idea what kind of score might shoot, he added.

"It's just a trust factor and saying that the legs are under there that you can go fire the way I used to," Morikawa said.

Morikawa has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 season, with a victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and two other top-10 finishes. But for the rest of this weekend at Augusta, his prospects will depend on how his body continues to respond and how well he can handle the mental side of the game, given his situation.

Max Homa hits a shot on the third fairway | Katie Goodale-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, 35-year-old Cal grad Max Homa got off to a solid start, despite some ups and downs over the afternoon. Homa, who had failed to make the cut in his two previous outings, finished the day in a tie for 18th place after shooting an even-par 72.

Homa has had a rough couple years and his world ranking has skidded to No. 163 after he resided at No. 5 just three years ago. But he has played well at the Masters, including a tie for 12th last year and a share of third place in 2024, his highest finish ever in a major.

Homa made par on each hole through No. 6 on Thursday before a bogey on the seventh. He more than erased that with an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole.

His back nine featured a wild four-hole stretch where he had a double-bogey 5 on the par-3 12th hole, a birdie on 13, a bogey on 14 and a birdie on 15. Homa completed his day with pars on 16, 17 and 18.

In summary: Two birdies, two bogeys, an eagle and a double-bogey, adding up to an even-par 72.

Finally, 32-year-old Cal alum Michael Kim, ranked No. 43 in the world, shot a 3-over 75 and sits in a tie for 49th place.

A year after finishing in a tie for 27th at the Masters, Kim carded a birdie on No. 2, but had four bogeys and 13 pars over the remaining 17 holes.

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