Masters: Collin Morikawa’s “greed” value him shot at Inexperienced Jacket

Augusta Nationwide punishes aggressive, grasping play, usually turning promising ball flights into double-bogies or worse on the drop of a dime.

You could keep affected person on this golf course, or else you’ll really feel the ache that Collin Morikawa skilled on Sunday’s again 9.

His demise started on the par-4 ninth gap, the place Morikawa pushed his tee shot into the pine straw to the fitting of the golf green.

However he bought grasping. He tried to punch a low hook up onto the three-tier inexperienced, which sits virtually 100 ft above the golf green. With the pin sitting on the entrance left portion, the one place Morikawa couldn’t miss was into the left bunkers.

He discovered one among them and finally made a double bogey.

Picture by Ben Jared/PGA Tour by way of Getty Photographs

Then, two holes later, Morikawa tried to take the flag stick on at 11. Traditionally the most difficult gap at Augusta, you will need to play to the fitting aspect of the inexperienced on the eleventh. A pond sits to the left of it, and each time the pin sits on the left aspect prefer it did Sunday, you will need to keep away from it.

Morikawa ignored Augusta’s unwritten guidelines and tried to make up his rising deficit with one swing. The transfer backfired as he discovered the drink.

“Greed bought one of the best of me,” Morikawa stated after.

“I knew the place I stood. I simply can’t try this. Previously, I haven’t completed it, however it’s form of the place the sport’s at. You form of discover your little stride. We put a variety of items of the puzzle collectively this week, however after watching Scottie [Scheffler] this week, I do know what to do if I actually need to shut this hole on what he’s doing and the way spectacular he’s taking part in.”

Scheffler gained The Masters in historic trend, failing to make a mistake on the back-nine to win by 4.

“He drives the ball a lot, a lot lengthy, effectively previous me,” Morikawa stated of Scheffler.

Picture by Jamie Squire/Getty Photographs

“Hits his irons, clearly spectacular. Retains it easy. Makes the putts when he must. If he doesn’t, nonetheless has loads of probabilities. And simply by no means put himself in hassle.”

Nonetheless, the hole between Morikawa and Scheffler is sort of a side-view mirror: nearer than it seems. Like Scheffler, Morikawa has gained two main championships and is extensively thought to be an elite iron participant.

However Morikawa has had a tough season so far. Nonetheless, he believes he discovered one thing optimistic in his swing earlier this week, which led to his greatest efficiency of 2024 thus far.

“There’s solely a few holes out right here that harm me,” Morikawa defined.

“I nonetheless really feel like I can hit my pictures out right here. Yeah, it will be good to hit it farther, however I feel with the sport I’ve, if I can simply tighten just a few issues up, I’m not that far off. I imply, I completed, what, seven pictures again? I feel it was somewhat nearer mentally for me.”

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Make sure to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.