Collin Morikawa has really struggled with his form on the PGA Tour over the past few months, so much so that he is far from guaranteed a spot in the US Ryder Cup team.
Keegan Bradley will have a huge decision to make next week regarding Morikawa, with the 39-year-old set to name his six Ryder Cup captain’s picks on August 27th.
Back in March, the prospect of the 28-year-old missing out on the showdown with Europe at Bethpage Black was actually unthinkable.
However, he is an absolute shadow of his former self right now and he has been for quite some time.
Morikawa is not in a good spot at all ahead of the Ryder Cup, after he hit a new low in July by missing back-to-back cuts at the Scottish Open and The Open Championship.
The really concerning thing for him is that his form has not improved since returning Stateside, with T-22 and T-33 finishes to his name.
Morikawa is in genuine danger of missing out on the Ryder Cup team, but what has specifically made that even a possibility?
Keegan Bradley told why he should not pick Collin Morikawa for the Ryder Cup team
Bradley has plenty of potentially difficult decisions to make ahead of the Ryder Cup.
However, one of his most important ones will be whether he takes Morikawa with the US team to Bethpage.
The 28-year-old has been a part of the last two American Ryder Cup teams, but it seems like there is a real chance he could miss out this time.
Brendon de Jonge believes it shouldn’t even be up for debate. The former PGA Tour player told SIRIUSXM PGA TOUR Radio the three reasons why Bradley should leave him off the team.
He explained: “Here’s the reasons why I’m leaving Collin Morikawa off. Sure, I get it, he’s number eight, he’s close to that top six, but this is why we went to six picks, so that you have the ability to leave a guy off who’s showing absolutely no form.
“He’s struggling with his game, he’s putting very, very poorly. It’s a golf course that doesn’t suit him, it really doesn’t suit his game at all. He’s one of the shorter hitters out there and it’s a big ball park. There’s too many things that lean to the direction of leaving Morikawa off for me.”
In fairness to De Jonge, he has summed that up perfectly.
If Morikawa does get selected by Bradley for the Ryder Cup team, it could have big consequences for the US team.
Collin Morikawa’s stats prove he’s a poor fit for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage
Morikawa is someone who simply doesn’t fit the beastly layout at Bethpage.
Stretching to almost 7,500 yards long, the par-70 golf course is long – very long in fact.
There are two things in particular which you need to do well to succeed at the Ryder Cup, and they are drive the ball long and straight and putt extremely well.
Unfortunately for Morikawa, he has done neither of those things well at all in 2025. In fact, he has been incredibly poor in those categories, with his scrambling stats utterly woeful as well.
| Stats | Morikawa’s 2025 rank |
| Driving distance | 144 |
| Clubhead speed | 109 |
| Ball speed | 122 |
| Scrambling | 102 |
| Putts per round | 120 |
| Strokes gained putting | 140 |
Those stats make for quite painful reading actually.
The real problem Bradley has is that if he picks Morikawa and the two-time major champion goes on to underperform at Bethpage, it will be a decision that could end up defining the man from Vermont’s captaincy.
Of course, Morikawa could make everything a lot easier by winning the Tour Championship this week, so that his inclusion on the Ryder Cup team is not even questioned.
That said, a victory at East Lake for the 28-year-old this week is highly unlikely considering the way he has been playing.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
