Collin Morikawa was one of the clear favorites to win The Masters just a few weeks ago.
However, Morikawa suffered a back injury just one hole into The Players Championship in mid-March, and he hasn’t played competitively since then.
The 29-year-old two-time major champion was in exceptional form before his back gave way on him at TPC Sawgrass.
Morikawa won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and then followed that up with a T-7 at The Genesis Invitational and a fifth-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He possesses a superb record at Augusta National and has two top-5 finishes to his name, as well as three top-20s in the last five years at The Masters.
Morikawa will have his work cut out at The Masters this year, though, if he is going to contend, let alone win the tournament.
Collin Morikawa shares ‘honest truth’ about his injury ahead of The Masters
Morikawa’s precise iron play means that he should always put himself in contention to win at Augusta National.
However, his preparation for The Masters this year has been far from ideal.
He spoke to reporters at Augusta on Monday and responded when asked to provide an update on how his back is feeling.
“Yeah, the honest truth is I’m taking it day by day,” Morikawa admitted.
“It’s not exactly where I want to be, and it’s unfortunate, but that’s just the body, and I can’t push it. It’s been a little bit of a mental battle, I think, just trying to trust with where it’s at.
“The back actually feels fine. It’s just other parts of the body not cooperating a little bit how I want.
“I’ve been hitting balls for the past week, so I ended up pulling out of the Valero last week and was able to hit balls and continue to play.
“But there’s a comfort level, and this isn’t a place where you want to be uncomfortable, but sometimes you’ve got to find other ways to get around a golf course.
“So I’m kind of, you know, making a different game plan than I think I’ve come up with in the past.“
Collin Morikawa on committing fully to his swings
The 29-year-old from Los Angeles has opened up about his trust issues when swinging the golf club, due to fear of injuring his back again.
He was asked how difficult it is to complete a swing with full commitment.
“Yeah, it’s very difficult,“ Morikawa said.
“I have never gone through this. I have hurt myself before and never had to worry about swinging on the golf course because a lot of the stuff I had done — I hurt myself in the gym.
“When you hurt yourself swinging, it’s a completely different beast of itself because you just don’t know. There’s a little bit of a commitment, trust.
“The mind is a very strong thing, though, and a very strong part of your body. Positive mindset, the right thoughts, be able to get through and figure it out.“
