Can Collin Morikawa rebound after final round Maui collapse?

Collin Morikawa (Google Images)

The fact that Jon Rahm of Barrika, Spain won the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions on Sunday from Kapalua was not the only major golf story. What we also saw was a significant struggle in the fourth round by two-time major champion Collin Morikawa of Los Angeles, California.

Morikawa, who won the 2020 PGA Championship. and the 2021 British Open, had a whopping six stoke lead after three rounds on Saturday. His 54-hole score was a remarkable -24, and at the time he was leading Americans J.J. Spaun and Scottie Scheffler, along with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who were all tied for second place at -18.

Normally when a golfer shoots under par over 18 holes in the final round when he or she has a six-stroke lead, they will be OK. However, one must realize that the Kapalua Plantation Course in Maui is relatively easy. This is the same course where Australia’s Cameron Smith shot a PGA Tour record -34 a year ago.

So when Morikawa only shot a one-under-par 72, it should not have been a big surprise that he was not in the winner’s circle. He was beaten by Rahm, who had a fourth round score of -10, and an overall score of -27, two shots better than Morikawa, who finished at -25.

Morikawa’s struggles on Sunday came on the back nine. There he bogeyed the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes. According to ESPN, Morikawa is now the ninth player ever to have a six-stroke lead heading into the final round of a PGA event–and lose.

Now one must ask how will Morikawa’s fourth round struggles on Sunday impact him going forward? When will Morikawa be able to win again?

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