Photo by Bill Streicher, USA Today
Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa is Human! He Misses The Cut After 22 in a Row
Collin Morikawa will not match Tiger Woods’ all-time record of making 25 consecutive cuts to begin his PGA career.
The former Cal star shot a one-over 71 on Friday in the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT, finishing two days at 3-over-par. The projected cut was 3-under.
Morikawa had made 22 straight cuts on the professional tour (23 counting one he made before official turning pro), but now gets the weekend off for the first time in his PGA career.
This is also just the third time in 23 starts Morikawa has finished with an above-par score. He was one-over at the 2019 U.S. Open — just his second event as a pro — and one-over at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
On Friday, Morikawa had three birdies in the second round, but also two bogeys and — for the second day in a row — a double-bogey.
Here's what analysts from the Golf Channel said about Morikawa's potential during the midst of his second round on Friday.
Morikawa nearly stole the show two weeks ago when the PGA reopened after more than three months off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He led late in the final round at the Charles Schwab Classic at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, before missing a critical putt to force a playoff. When Morikawa missed a short putt on the first extra hole, Daniel Berger took home the winner’s check.
We talked with Cal coach Walter Chun a couple days after the Charles Schwab and he expressed confidence that Morikawa would use that disappointment as fuel going forward.
Morikawa then made his 22nd consecutive cut last week at the RBC Heritage, but ballooned to a 74 on the final day and finished in a tie for 64th place.
Having finally experienced what every golfer eventually does — missing a cut — Morikawa gets another chance next week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
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