Collin Morikawa has been on pins and needles all week, wondering whether his balky back was going to hold up. He practiced sparingly all week, not wanting to push it.
Since he withdrew from the Players Championship when a practice swing wrenched his back, Morikawa hasn’t been able to practice at full speed.
He opened with a 2-over-par 74 and called it “probably the toughest round I’ve ever played.’’
“I’m just fighting,’’ he said. “Like, it’s a battle. It all started when I woke up. I’ve never felt this nervous, like, in my life. I think it’s a trust factor. When it happened out on the course at the Players, you know, there’s a certain doubt factor of, like, is this going to happen (or) is this not?
“I’ve been hitting balls for the past week and a half, but not comfortably. When I teed it up on Tuesday, I honestly didn’t know if I was going to make contact.’’
Morikawa, 29, is looking for his first major win since bursting onto the scenes with victories at the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 British Open.
