Collin Morikawa Fires a 63, Shares Second Place at the Travelers

The Cal alum is 11 under par through 36 holes; Tom Kim holds a 2-stroke lead at minus-13.

Collin Morikawa / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Cal alum Collin Morikawa continued his recent strong play Friday with a second-round score of 7-under 63 to share second place at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands at Cromwell, Conn.

Morikawa shot a 6-under 29 over the front nine and added a seventh birdie on the back to complete a bogey-free round.

Ranked No. 7 in the world and having clinched a spot on the U.S. team that will compete at the Paris Olympics this summer, Morikawa shot an opening-round 66 on the par-70 course.

Morikawa, who sank a 30-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole, is clearly feeling good about the state of his game.

"I know where the ball's going, so that helps," Morikawa said. "Obviously, I want to be able to get the win and that's kind of what's stopping me from being on a great run. It's a big mental mindset. When you know where the ball's going it's a lot easier to play golf, and I've kind of been able to trust that."

The 27-year-old has 12 birdies and just one bogey through 36 holes of the event which had a total purse of $20 million. Morikawa is still seeking his first PGA Tour victory in 2024 but has six top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish at the Memorial early this month, a tie for third at the Masters and a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship.

He is tied with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who carded a 64 on his 28th birthday, and Akshay Bhatia, who had a 65.

Tom Kim, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Friday, followed his opening-round 62 with a 65 on Friday and holds a two-stroke lead at 13 under.

Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas and Sungai Im share sixth place at 9 under. Lowry and Robert McIntyre, who is tied for ninth, each posted rounds of 62 on Friday.

Cal grad Max Homa shot a 1-over 71 and is tied for 58th place at plus-1 in the no-cut event. South Korean Byeong Hun An, who attended Cal for year more than a decade ago, played seven holes Thursday before withdrawing due to an illness.