Collin Morikawa paraded the front side of Valhalla on Friday, looking for another major title and his second PGA Championship.
he made 5 consecutive birdies He recorded holes 4 through 8 and was on the leaderboard as soon as he left the golf course. Morikawa shot a 6-under 65 and will enter the weekend at 11 under, his highest score through 36 holes in a major.
“I just keep it in front of me,” Morikawa explained.
“I’ve had great results so far since Augusta, so it’s great to be able to continue this trend. I was able to hit some good close shots and some wedge shots and take advantage of the short holes and par 5s. Most of the time I didn’t make any big mistakes except on the last hole.
Morikawa started on the back nine and took a few holes to warm up. But he made birdies on the 13th and 18th to improve the two-time major champion.
He then turned to the front nine and took action there. However, Morikawa made a mistake on his second shot on the 9th hole, and his wedge missed the green by a wide margin. That resulted in a bogey and the round ended.
“The little five-run birdie was just me playing solid golf. Sometimes that happens when you miss a putt,” he said.
“That’s the kind of golf I’m going to ask myself over the next two days: always be there, hit the shot, execute it, and if the putt falls, the putt falls. Don’t force anything, especially today. Nothing was forced.”
Morikawa gained 12 strokes in two rounds of play, leading the field in total strokes gained. He also ranks second in strokes gained around the green with a 3.298.
Morikawa played from tee to green the same way he played when he won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 British Open Championship.
However, he lost some of that mojo early this season. His strong iron play inexplicably abandoned him. But during Monday’s practice round at Augusta National, he discovered something on the practice field, and he’s been a different player ever since.
“I know I still have it in me, and that’s what’s exciting about it,” Morikawa said.
“It sucked to end it like that after Augusta and lose to the Scotties, but at the end of the day we have three more majors coming up and we want to be as sharp as we can to prepare for them. I knew I had to get a strong result. I’m glad I was able to get off to a good start.”
Morikawa will have to wait until after the afternoon waves to find out who his playing partner will be for Saturday’s round.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
