Collin Morikawa watches a strong blow during the third round of Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday.
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Collin Morikawa is well aware of drought. So after his third round at Arnold Palmer Invitational On Saturday, when NBC Sports Cara Banks reminded him that he did not win at PGA Tour in 502 days, Morikawa could smile alone.
“Thank you for putting it on the correct day,” he joked. “Hope you have hours and minutes.”
Morikawa certainly did not know how many days they had passed from his last victory, but he would admit that he was looking forward to the next victory.
His last victory came about a year and a half ago, when he won the Zozo championship in October 2023. This also grabbed a string of no over two years as it was his first victory since 2021 Open Championship.
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Now he is in the main position to obtain his 7th PGA Tour victory on Sunday. Morikawa shot a five-nine 67 year old in a Hard Saturday in Bay Hill To reach 10 below, and he will begin the last round of Arnold Palmer Invitational with a lead with a blow to Russell Henley and two clean shots of Corey Conners. Jason Day is three behind, and no other player is within four.
This is his fifth career of leadership or co-leader, and he is 1 for 4 in turning them into victory.
“I’ve gone longer (without a victory), but honestly I look back last year and never felt like I had my game to go out alone and just to play golf,” Morikawa said. “I felt like I was always a kind, you were presented on Sunday, and not that I was daring, but you were still fighting something and trying to make it just to work. Harden to win.
To be right, it is a kind of folly that we even call this a drought. Winning golf tournaments is difficult, and Morikawa has played well despite the victory. He had eight 10th and two racing conclusions last season and ended second in FedEx Cup. He added another second place in Sentry in January, and he ended T17 in his other two beginnings, Pebble Beach and Genesis.
He is basically done everything but make
“I look back last year, obviously at the end of the year, and I never felt like my game was completely in control. And I appeared in Hawaii and felt as if the eight weeks I came in was really good, really good,” Morikawa said. “It is difficult to say ever when you feel good, but there is a difference on how to go in a week and find something that week and just a kind of play with it, which you can win, I have done it in the past.
“As well as in the lost shooting. As today, I have missed some. You wouldn’t know it, but they ended well. So it’s right, there is a slight difference where I was in the place where I am now in a few weeks ago. Small little things. ”
As a 28-year-old professional with two main titles, resume and Morikawa is already polished. But adding a title from a signature event to the Arnie place would not hurt.
