ATLANTA — The only thing hotter than the 95-degree heat that hit East Lake on Thursday was Collin Morikawa on the back nine.
he 6 consecutive birdiesMorikawa shot consecutive pars on holes 10-15 to climb the leaderboard and enter the fight for the win, tying his own PGA TOUR record. The last time he recorded six consecutive birdies was in the first round at Sentry and, interestingly, on holes 10-15 at Kapalua. Unfortunately, he ended the week by losing a big lead after 54 holes, losing by two strokes to Jon Rahm.
Still, Morikawa began the Tour Championship at 4-under par on the starting stroke scale and is at 9-under after the first day. Morikawa shot a 5-under 66 and is tied for second place with Xander Schauffele.
“rear [the front] “From the ninth hole onwards, I told myself to stop worrying about whether the ball was perfect or not and just think about my shot,” Morikawa said.
“I made some good shots, made some good putts. My game is good enough to come out here and win. I just need to get out of my own head.”
Morikawa explained his own personal battle and how he has striven for golf perfection more than anyone else.
“I want to see the perfect shot. I want to see that high, peaky cut that I always hit. I work hard on the range and in the weeks leading up to hit that shot, but sometimes it just doesn't work out,” Morikawa explained.
“But that doesn't mean you have to play golf like that. At the end of the day, it's like you're trying to hit it 150 yards. You just hit it 150 yards and see what you do from there. It's about knowing what you're willing to accept and what you're not willing to accept.”
That said, Morikawa hit a lot of good shots, especially on the back nine, but started off lackluster on the front side of East Lake with a 1-over 37.
“I wish [my run] “I was going to start on the first hole, but this will be a good reminder for me to watch my shots and execute them over the next three days,” Morikawa said.
“It's not that I'm overdoing it, but when I'm doing well I have a good flow and rhythm in my routine, but how do I find that? Sometimes it's just a little bit off and it causes a bad shot.”
Morikawa didn't hit many bad shots Thursday, at least on the back nine, missing a birdie chance on the par-5 18th hole but otherwise played flawless golf down the stretch.
Now, he's seven strokes behind world number one Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 6-under 65 on the first day. But it's only the first day and there's still a lot of golf left to play. With an improved mindset, focusing on results instead of process, anything is possible for Morikawa. He's proven it before and he'll surely prove it again this weekend.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
