Collin Morikawa on Golf's Tour Championship: 'I'm Trying to Win This Thing'
Collin Morikawa seemed almost amused by the question.
Do you still have enough in the tank for this weekend’s Tour Championship?
The exchange occurred during a Wednesday media session, and Morikawa was armed with a quick and decisive answer.
“We’ve got a lot of energy, I’ll tell you that. I’m very excited to be here. How could you not?” said Morikawa, who is still just 23. “I’ve put myself in a good position. So I’m not just here to limp my way to the final on Monday. I’m trying to win this thing.”
Morikawa tees off Friday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, in fifth place in a strokes-based system called the FedEx Starting Strokes. The four-day, season-ending event will award Monday’s winner a $15 million first prize.
A second-year pro from Cal, Morikawa has put himself within striking distance by winning twice on the tour this year, including the PGA Championship, the season’s only major to avoid postponement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morikawa will start five strokes back of FedEx Cup standings leader Dustin Johnson, who begins at minus-10. Jon Rahm, who won at the BMW Championship last week, is at 8-under, followed by Justin Thomas at 7-under and Webb Simpson at 6-under.
The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings will play all four days through the weekend, with no cuts after Friday's second round.
Rory McIlroy won a year ago, also starting in fifth place at 5-under. That provides only so much comfort to Morikawa.
“Rory’s obviously a very, very good player,” he said. “But five shots, that can be a lot. That can be a little. You don’t know how the guys are going to play ahead of you. You don’t know how the guys are going to play below you.
“All you can really do it show up on Friday and starting playing good golf. I can’t look at it like, `I’ve got to make up five shots in the next five holes at the beginning of my round.’ “
Morikawa said he hopes to endure the momentum swings through the weekend and put himself in position to win on Monday. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, obviously, being five shots out,” he said. “But to know that it’s been done, is nice.”
Not much about this season was familar, starting with a three-month spring hiatus for the pandemic. The British Open in mid-July was canceled, and both the U.S. Open and the Masters were postponed. The U.S. Open was rescheduled for next weekend at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York.
For Morikawa, this has been an early breakthrough season. He has six top-10 finishes and has won more than $5.2 million to rank No. 4 on the PGA money list.
He took a week off after winning the PGA, then missed the cut at the Northern Trust, the first of the FedEx Cup playoff events. At the BMW, Morikawa shot a six-over 76 to open, then a 73.
“It’s been kind of an up-and-down past couple of weeks, trying to figure out how to play golf again after the PGA Championship,” Morikawa said. “We’re headed in the right direction. I’m ready to play some really good golf this week.”
He closed out the BMW with consecutive 68s on the weekend, a return to the form he displayed much of this season.
“It’s been crazy. It’s been week after week, a lot of golf. Obviously, some pretty big wins. I very thankful to be here,” he said.
But he reiterated he’s not just in Atlanta to play out the schedule.
“I really hope I make some memories this week,” he said. “That’d be pretty cool.”
Tee Times
Here are Friday’s first-tee start times for the key players at the Tour Championship (all times PST):
11 a.m.: Collin Morikawa and Daniel Berger
11:10 a.m.: Justin Thomas and Webb Simpson
11:20 a.m.: Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm
TV
Friday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST (Golf Channel)
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST (Golf Channel)
Sunday: 10 a.m. to noon PST (Golf Channel), noon to 4 p.m., PST (NBC)
Monday: 9 to 10:30 a.m. (Golf Channel), 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (NBC)
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*** SI's crew looks at the best bets for the Tour Championship:
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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
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