AUGUSTA, Ga. — Collin Morikawa seems to have discovered the greens in his fifth go to to Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership. That doesn’t imply he doesn’t concern them. In all probability a sensible concept.
In pursuit of his first Masters title and the third leg of the profession Grand Slam, Morikawa has improved incrementally every day and is the one participant within the area of the 88th Masters to submit three straight rounds underneath par. That features a third-round 69 Saturday at baked out, crispy, crunchy, crusty Augusta Nationwide.
Morikawa’s three-under 69 effort was one off the low spherical of the day by Chris Kirk and one in every of simply 12 rounds beneath par. Winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship, Morikawa climbed into second place at six-under 210, a stroke behind 2022 Masters winner Scottie Scheffler.
An enormous key for the 27-year-old Los Angeles native has been a renewed bout of confidence on the greens after making a putter swap following a gap 71. However previous outcomes aren’t indicative of future efficiency, as your dealer may say, and on Saturday night Morikawa appeared like a person who was girding for a take a look at the sector has but to see this week.
“Look, tomorrow, something may occur. There’s nonetheless a variety of guys proper beneath us,” Morikawa cautioned. “We don’t know what circumstances are going to be like. The greens are getting firmer than I’ve ever seen out right here. So it’s going to play lots totally different from type of what we’ve seen the primary two rounds.
“I imply, as we speak, because the spherical was going by means of, you would simply inform the greens had been simply fully altering,” he continued. “Tomorrow it’s going to be even that rather more bouncy, quick. Like I mentioned, I’ve by no means seen the course like this. It was type of main as much as that because the week began. We received some rain Thursday, however proper now might be precisely the place Augusta desires it. And I believe some holes, some method pictures might need to be tweaked primarily based on the place I’m and what golf equipment I’m hitting versus earlier years for me.”
That sounds type of ominous. And troublesome.
To organize, Morikawa figured he may watch a little bit of the early-round play on Sunday earlier than his 2:35 p.m. tee time within the final pairing with Scheffler. He may study one thing about how robust the course has been arrange. A chance to do one thing particular awaits.
“In case you requested me in the beginning of the week I would be one again heading into Sunday, I’d have taken that any time,” he mentioned. “You give your self an opportunity with 18 holes left, that is all you may actually do and the whole lot that you just observe for. All of it comes collectively tomorrow hopefully. However it may be a grind, and I am trying ahead to that.”
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