Collin Morikawa is going to be one of the heavy favourites to win the Players Championship, with the two-time major champion doing virtually everything except get over the line on the PGA Tour since the start of 2024.
Collin Morikawa has certainly been the most impressive player not to win on the PGA Tour since the start of last season. The 28-year-old registered his latest runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, as he finished one shot behind Russell Henley at Bay Hill.
Morikawa is first for strokes gained on tour in 2025, as well as tee to green, according to the PGA Tour website. He also finished as a runner-up at The Sentry as Hideki Matsuyama set the record for the lowest score to par at Kapalua.
But clearly, getting himself across the line is proving to be an issue right now – with his most recent victory coming at the 2023 ZOZO Championship.
Collin Morikawa issues his verdict on TPC Sawgrass ahead of the Players Championship
Morikawa has not got the best record at the Players Championship in the early stages of his career.
Nevertheless, speaking to the media ahead of this week’s event, Morikawa explained why he is such a fan of TPC Sawgrass.
“I honestly think it’s one of the best courses we play all year, not just from the conditions, how it tests your game, you have to be on with all aspects, from the tee to the green, putting, nothing’s easy,” he said.
“And then there’s some courses out there – last week, one of the courses you just can’t let up, even if it’s a par five, bogeys can come in an instant, this is one of those. I would never say easy holes, but there’s some gettable holes out here, but in turn, you just have to play really, really good golf if you want to finish up on top.”
How Morikawa has performed at the Players Championship
The Players Championship is potentially something of a rarity in the career of Morikawa. It will surprise some to know that he has not yet registered a top 10 finish at TPC Sawgrass during his career.
His best result was a 13th place finish in 2023, while he has only managed to break 70 in three of his 14 rounds on the course.
However, the momentum is absolutely with Morikawa. He has two runner-up finishes and four top 20s in his four events so far. And if he is able to use the frustration from Bay Hill as fuel, it is going to be incredibly difficult for anyone to keep up with Morikawa over the next few days.
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