Before Thursday’s opening round US Open, Collin Morikawa made a “stupid” decision.
On Friday, he woke up.
The result was an 8 stroke improvement. In the sun with the sun in the wind Shinnecock HillsMorikawa shot a five-under 65, recovering from a first-round 73 to climb the leaderboard. He finished the day at two-under for the tournament, in a tie for fourth, with most of the field still on the course.
What caused the return?
His wedges. Specifically, their heels.
On Friday afternoon, Morikawa revealed that he had played his first round with a new wedge — the same TaylorMade model he usually uses, but without the turf. The move backfired.
“I usually (take it off) a little bit from the return. It’s stupid that I do that,” Morikawa said.
The decision was made in Monday’s practice round. Shinnecock was rained out Sunday night, leaving the course soft and wet for Morikawa’s first look at the setup. Working on the chips on the back of the 10th hole, he found himself digging the club into the green.
Many golfers would read this as a reason to add bounce, not remove it, since more bounce helps keep the lead from digging into the ground. But Morikawa was playing the long game. He expected the course to firm up considerably by Thursday, and thought the trickier, grainier lies that come with firmer terrain would suit a lower-bump wedge.
“I knew it was going to dry out,” he said. “I felt like it was okay. So I didn’t tear it up.”
He took that new wedge into Thursday’s opening round, and his short game wasn’t as sharp as he had hoped.
“Just yesterday, average chip shot,” he said. “Partly bad technically, but part (feeling) like everything was just going to bounce. You just have to have one big low point here. You have to know what the spin is going to be.”
Golf is nothing if not a game of adjustments. After completing a weather-delayed first round on Friday morning, Morikawa reversed his decision. Back in his bag was the wedge he had trusted all season, bounce and all.
“I just went back to my old wedge after I finished this morning,” he said. “Whether it worked or not, it just gave me enough confidence to say I could call them. I felt like I hit a lot better chips out there.”
It’s been that kind of season for Morikawa, a campaign marked by changes beyond his control. A back injury sidelined him at The Players in March and he continued to feature enough to cost him more starts before the Masters. He has been managing that case ever since. On Thursday, however, his body looked fine. It was his decision-making and equipment that betrayed him. By Friday, he had also been proved right.
