Collin Morikawa played very well during his opening round at East Lake on Thursday, but he still sits three shots adrift of the lead at the Tour Championship after firing a six-under par 64.
Morikawa has endured a torrid time of late on the PGA Tour, with two missed cuts, and T-22 and T-33 finishes in his last four events.
His form has been so poor during the second half of the season that his place on the Ryder Cup team is now being called into question.
That’s nothing that a win, or even a good finish at the Tour Championship can’t fix.
In fact, it has been suggested that Morikawa should not be picked by Keegan Bradley for the Ryder Cup.
Bradley actually has a lot of big decisions to make ahead of Bethpage Black, so Morikawa’s form will be a real headache for the 39-year-old right now.
Morikawa was said to be ‘not in a good spot’ after he missed the cut at The Open last month.
With that in mind, his first round 64 at the Tour Championship would have been a very welcome one.
Collin Morikawa discusses his Ryder Cup hopes
Morikawa seemed to be a lock for the Ryder Cup team earlier this season, but he is now in genuine jeopardy of missing out.
Bethpage Black is not a great fit for the 28-year-old’s game, but what does he think of his chances of making the US team?
Morikawa spoke to reporters after shooting 64 on day one of the Tour Championship on Thursday, and he was asked whether he’s confident of making the Ryder Cup team.
He said: “You’re never comfortable. I don’t think you’re ever comfortable until you get that call and you’re on the team. At the end of the day, this is a different type of event. I would say after qualifying, it’s been two years’ work, and the Ryder Cup is still a month away.
“Look, I hope I’ve done enough. We’ll have to wait and see. But I think, yeah, my focus right now is to try and go out and win this golf tournament. I think if I do that, then hopefully that’s enough, and we’ll see how everything plays out.“
Morikawa clearly isn’t taking it for granted that he will be selected by Bradley for the Ryder Cup.
He most probably will be on the US team in September but a good result at East Lake this week would make his participation at the Ryder Cup a certainty.
Collin Morikawa makes Keegan Bradley comment
Morikawa was asked whether he has held discussions with Bradley ahead of the Ryder Cup next month.
He said: “There’s definitely discussion I would say pre-playoffs. Keegan has been one of — I’m not on the team, but Keegan has been one of the best captains, even not being on the team, where he’s been open to talking to everyone. I’m not saying that’s been a negative to other captains, but I think just him being a lot younger and a lot closer to all of us, he’s been open to hearing a lot of things, talking to him.
“But yeah, at the end of the day, it’s like for me, I’ve got to go play good golf and put that forward, and hopefully the two years’ work was good enough.“
Morikawa then delivered a coy response when asked whether Bradley should act as a playing captain at Bethpage.
The 28-year-old explained: “I think he’s got one of the most difficult decisions anyone has ever had to make. Like I said, he’s put more hours than we could even ask and know about into this Ryder Cup, and he still has played great golf. He is one of the best Americans as of right now.
“But I truly do not know where his head sits, and I don’t want to be in that position.“
Finally, he was asked if he would take Bradley to Bethpage.
Morikawa responded: “Hypothetical, honestly, I don’t — I’m not going to get roped into that.“
He’s clearly not giving anything away, and rightly so.
All Morikawa will be focused on right now is making sure that he performs to the best of his ability at the Tour Championship so that if he is picked for the Ryder Cup team, there will be no controversy surrounding his selection.
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