Collin Morikawa flips script at Masters to climb leaderboard at Augusta

Collin Morikawa has not looked like a two-time major champion in 2024.

Outside of a top-10 finish at The Sentry in early January, the former California Golden Bear has struggled to garner any momentum. His iron play—usually his strong suit—has not been up to his standard, nor has his play overall.

And yet, Morikawa carded a 2-under 70 in brutal conditions Friday to climb up the leaderboard at The Masters.

“We found something [in my swing] early on Monday, and we’re just kind of sticking with that,” Morikawa said.

“It’s still not perfect, but perfect doesn’t have to be out there. I’m able to play good golf and plot my way around this golf course. Especially with the wind out here, you had to just kind of really stay patient out there.”

He remained patient all day Friday, while so many others stumbled around him. But Morikawa did not reveal what discovery he made earlier in the week.

“I had to find a swing thought because I actually wasn’t thinking that much, so it’s a good thing,” Morikawa added after 36 holes at Augusta National.

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

“Sometimes you need one swing thought, and I just had to find what was working. It’s a good time for it to start coming together.”

Whatever he found, it clearly has helped him. Morikawa sits at 3-under through 36 holes, three strokes behind co-leaders Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, and Max Homa.

“This is exactly where I’d want to be,” Morikawa added.

“Obviously, I’d rather be a little lower and closer to the lead, but for right now, especially after how I’ve been playing for the past month, I’m very, very happy. It feels like I have control of the golf ball, and that’s the biggest thing. My irons have been holding me back, and normally, that’s not the case. It’s kind of nice to just hit some quality golf shots.”

Morikawa actually gained 1.54 strokes approaching the green Friday, a testament to his improvements with his irons. But he also putted very well, gaining three strokes on the greens.

“Just because I grinded through these first two days does not mean it’s going to be easy,” Morikawa added.

“It’s going to keep getting tougher, shots are going to be harder, and you’ve just got to stick to it.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.