Collin Morikawa has hit 52 of 54 greens so far this week at Kapalua, a sign that his ball-striking is on fire.
Another sign? Morikawa gets 4.010 strokes on approach In Saturday's third round, he shot an 11-under 62. Notably, this performance was better than his ball-striking round in 2024, when he got a 3.491 to get close to the green in the first round at the Memorial, but ultimately lost out to Scottie Scheffler. . By a stroke.
However, despite his excellent performance thus far, Morikawa is still one point behind Hideki Matsuyama entering the final round of Sentry.
He hasn't won as a professional since the ZOZO Championship in Japan in 2023, but he had a number of close calls throughout 2024. His T-3 at Augusta National comes to mind. So is his T-4 at the PGA Championship.
So how can Morikawa defeat Matsuyama and start 2025 with a win? By invoking Tiger Woods and his mentality.
“I want to win, but I’m not thinking that way, I’m just going to focus on every shot and give my all to every shot,” Morikawa explained.
“If you look back at Tiger, he did it every week. If you ask yourself, did he do that every time for the last six years, I think probably not. It's tough, but that's what I'm trying to do going into this year: We only have four days left, so let's see what we can do.”
Morikawa did his best to stay focused for three days. However, he worked tirelessly throughout the offseason and even practiced for games in preparation for 2025.
“I'm happy that the sound clicks,'' says Morikawa.
“I told myself – I know I'm doing well here – the work I put in in the offseason doesn't mean I'm going to come out here and play well. That doesn't mean you'll be in the top 10 or top 5 right away or have a chance to win, but what I've been working on is continuing to put everything together in a tournament setting. It’s great to be able to keep track of scores.”
Given the lack of wind in Kapalua on Sunday as well, Morikawa will have to go ridiculously low to get past Matsuyama and the rest of the field. But he can't get too far ahead. He also can't be greedy, which bothered him at the Masters a year ago. Instead, as Tiger has done throughout his career, he must take one shot at a time, stay in the moment and accept what the course has to offer.
There will certainly be plenty of birdie opportunities on this golf course, but Morikawa will have to take them one by one.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
