Collin Morikawa gets past back scare and swinging well at US Open

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Don’t be surprised to see Collin Morikawa squatting instead of bending from the waist to tee up his golf ball this week at the U.S. Open. No need to be concerned, either.

Morikawa had to withdraw from the Memorial two weeks ago because of pain in his back, bad timing with the U.S. Open approaching and because he was two shots out of the lead going into the final round at Muirfield Village.

Morikawa said it happened while doing a reactive exercise and he turned the wrong way. After some rest and rehabilitation at home in Las Vegas, all is well.

“We got started hitting balls late last week, and we’re swinging fine,” he said Tuesday. “There’s no pain swinging right now, which is great. I might be teeing up kind of weirdly this week, so don’t take too much into that, but it’s just precautionary.”

He says he will remain cautious with his movement when he’s not swinging the club. But in two days of practice, there hasn’t been an issue hitting out of the rough or the bunkers.

“It was just terrible, terrible timing,” he said of the Memorial, which Viktor Hovland wound up winning. Morikawa won in 2020 at Muirfield Village in the Workday Charity Open.

Morikawa lives in Las Vegas, but home is LA. He grew up in La Canada, and he played Los Angeles Country Club in the 2017 Walker Cup, going 4-0 in his matches.

“Every time I come back to LA, it’s my favorite spot in the world. It’s always going to be home for me no matter where I live, no matter where I move to,” Morikawa said. “There’s just that extra added touch, specialness, when you’re playing at home, when you’re playing in the state of California for me.

“Hopefully put together four really good rounds out here and see what happens.”

Morikawa is one of four Californians who have won majors in their home state. His came at Harding Park in San Francisco in the PGA Championship, the first major coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The other California-born major champions in their home state: Tiger Woods (2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines), Billy Casper (1966 U.S. Open at Olympic Club) and Scott Simpson (1987 U.S. Open at Olympic Club).

CANTLAY AT MAJORS

Patrick Cantlay has played 22 majors since he returned from a back injury that nearly ended his career before it even really got started. He has become among the elite in golf, with no real weakness in his game, rising to No. 4 in the world.

It just hasn’t translated in the majors, and Cantlay is getting tired of the reference.

Two weeks ago at the Memorial, he got a long question about Brooks Koepka having five majors among his nine PGA Tour wins, while Cantlay has eight PGA Tour wins and no majors. Asked how he felt about majors being the gold standard, he replied, “Fortunately, my career’s not over yet.”

The topic came up again Tuesday at the U.S. Open when he was asked to describe his career in the majors — four top 10s, only one good chance to win in the 2019 Masters.

“Off to a slow start, I would say. I’m looking to improve that,” came the curt reply.

Asked how to change the subject, he said, “Just got to play more and win one. That’ll change the narrative pretty quick.”

KOEPKA’S MAJOR WINS

Brooks Koepka thrives in the majors, and it all started in the U.S. Open. He tied for fourth at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014 and won his first major at Erin Hills in 2017.

“I just love when maybe somewhere closer to even par wins,” Koepka said. “If it’s going to be a birdie-fest where 20, 21 under wins, that’s really not the style. I really don’t even think I’ve competed in many golf events over my career where that’s happened.

“But if you look at I would say maybe the majority of my wins, they’re all pretty much 10 under and less, which is kind of suited to major championship golf.”

That’s not entirely true.

Of his 18 wins as a pro — including four on the Challenge Tour and two in LIV Golf — only three times has his winning total to par been fewer than 10 under. One was at the PGA Championship last month at Oak Hill (9 under). He won the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills at 1 over, and he won the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black at 8 under.

Worth noting about Bethpage Black is Koepka set the 36-hole record for major championships at 128 (12 under) before a 70-74 weekend to hold off Dustin Johnson.

He tied the U.S. Open record to par at 16 under when he won at Erin Hills. He also won the PGA Championship at Bellerive in 2018 at 16 under.

It could be that he wins majors because he’s just really good.

THE NO. 1 JINX

Tiger Woods is the only player to win the U.S. Open as the No. 1 player in the world since the ranking began in 1986. Woods did it in 2000 at Pebble Beach, 2002 at Bethpage Black and 2008 at Torrey Pines.

Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 going into this U.S. Open for the second straight year. He finished one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick a year ago.

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