Collin Morikawa Stays Hot With a 68 But Faces Tough Sunday Climb

Updated

Collin Morikawa stayed hot in the second round of the Rocket Classic on Saturday. But no one at the Detroit Golf Club was hotter than 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa.

Morikawa enters Sunday’s final round four strokes back of Potgieter at minus-14 after shooting a 4-under par 68 to secure a share of 10th place.

A 28-year-old Cal grad, a two-time major winner but seeking his first PGA Tour victory since October 2023, Morikawa carded a bogey-free 64 in Friday’s second round to climb from 58th place to a tie for eighth.

"Look, I know what's at stake," Morikawa told reporters. "I want to find a way to get it done."

Morikawa -- playing with a new caddie (former Cal teammate KK Limbhasut) and a new putter this week -- made birdies on Nos. 2, 7, 9 and 11 and played 44 consecutive holes without a bogey before making one on the par-3 15th hole. But he recovered to card a birdie on the 16th to get back to 15 under.

The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5, Morikawa made pars on his final two holes. He tees off Sunday at 10:05 a.m. PT.

Aldrich Potgieter | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Potgieter, who missed the cut in nine of his previous 13 events this year, made five consecutive birdies at one point and had seven birdies on the way to a 7-under score of 65 that had him two strokes up on the field at minus-19.

The youngest player on the PGA Tour, Potgieter shot a sizzling 6-under 30 over the first nine holes, thanks to making five consecutive birdies on the way to a 7-nder 65..

Five players are tied for second at 17 under par and three more finished at minus-16.

"The leaderboard's so stacked," said the 5-foot-11, 211-pounder, who entered the week as the tour''s longest hitter at 326.6 yards off the tee.

Two other former Cal golfers had contrasting days on the course.

Michael Kim shot a 67 with six birdies and moved up from a tie for 64th place to a share of 33rd at minus-11 through 54 holes.

Things didn’t go as well for Byeong Hun An, who scuffled to a 75, thanks mostly to a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 seventh hole. An is tied for 82nd place — third-to-last — at 4 under par after shooting 68 and 69 the first two days.

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