Collin Morikawa Discusses His Slump Heading Into U.S. Open

Former Cal golfer has seen his ranking slip to No. 7 since his strong showing at the Masters

Former Cal golfer Collin Morikawa is in a bit of a slump.  He knows it. 

Asked on Tuesday, two days before the start of the U.S. Open, where his  game is at now, Morikawa replied, "As of two weeks ago, probably really bad. This entire year has been weird."

Weird indeed. He had spent the first three months of 2022 ranked No. 2 in the world, and he had several opportunities to move to No. 1 for the first time in his career.

Everything was going smoothly through the Masters, where he finished fifth, holing out from the bunker on the 72nd hole for an amazing birdie.

On May 11, he was back to No. 2 in the world. But ever since that memorable shot at Augusta, his game has betrayed him. 

Morikawa has not finished among the top 25 in any of his five events since the Masters. He finished tied for 55th at the PGA Championship, and he missed the cut at his most recent tournament, the Memorial, earlier this month.

His world ranking has dropped to No. 7, his lowest ranking since Feb. 7, 2021, when he slipped to No. 7 for one week.

Morikawa has been working hard to end his slump, but he can't seem to find an solution.

"I've been known for my irons and known to hit cuts, and that shot just hasn't been there," he said. "And I went to the range more than I have over a long period of time. And this past week has been a real good grind and a real good, just kind of grit to try and figure it out.

"It's been frustrating because all the prep work has felt really good this year. The results just haven't been there."

Morikawa's entire meeting with the media Tuesday:

The disappearance of his beloved cut has been particularly distressing. He can identify what is not happening, noting that it has to do with face control, spin control, not being able to keep the club face open, etc.  

But rectifying the problem? That's proving to be elusive.

"I couldn't tell you why," he said. "I've gone through every video on my phone and my swing. I've gone through nearly every swing thought I can think of since college, and we just haven't hit the jackpot yet.

"So we'll get it back. I'm not saying I'm going to hit draws all my life. I'm sure cuts will come back in the next month or so. But, you know, it's just a weird little thing in golf."

So Morikawa is just going to try to go with what is working at moment this week, even if it means avoiding cuts for the time being.  He noted that many top players, like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlrowy, have had success just going with what is working at the time.

"They work with what they got," he said.

He admits that his recent struggles have affected his mood. 

The news of the competing LIV golf tournaments and the uncertain future of pro golf  presents probably haven't helped. He enjoys the rumors and the gossip coming out of the competing golf circuit, but it does take away from what he's trying to do.

"When you wake up and I'm texting my agent or I'm texting my friend about, like, 'Hey did you hear about this?' or "I'm getting new about this,'" he said. "You know, it's fun, it's exciting because it is gossip. Who doesn't like gossip, right? But it also becomes a distraction. and you don't want to be focused on this or that. You want to be focused on playing golf.

"There's so many things up in the air, you're really not at peace because you don't know what the world is going to bring you the next day."

Five-time PGA TOUR tournament winner Collin Morikawa shares his thoughts on what it means to be mentally tough as a professional golfer.#USOpen | @BMCSoftware pic.twitter.com/zild42Lz8W

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 14, 2022

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