AUGUSTA, Ga. — Collin Morikawa seems to have discovered the greens in his fifth go to to Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership. That doesn’t imply he doesn’t concern them. In all probability a sensible concept.
In pursuit of his first Masters title and the third leg of the profession Grand Slam, Morikawa has improved incrementally every day and is the one participant within the subject of the 88th Masters to submit three straight rounds underneath par. That features a third-round 69 Saturday at baked out, crispy, crunchy, crusty Augusta Nationwide.
Morikawa’s three-under 69 effort was one off the low spherical of the day by Chris Kirk and one in every of simply 12 rounds under par. Winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship, Morikawa climbed into second place at six-under 210, a stroke behind 2022 Masters winner Scottie Scheffler.
A giant key for the 27-year-old Los Angeles native has been a renewed bout of confidence on the greens after making a putter change following a gap 71. However previous outcomes aren’t indicative of future efficiency, as your dealer would possibly say, and on Saturday night Morikawa appeared like a person who was girding for a take a look at the sector has but to see this week.
“Look, tomorrow, something might occur. There’s nonetheless a variety of guys proper beneath us,” Morikawa cautioned. “We don’t know what circumstances are going to be like. The greens are getting firmer than I’ve ever seen out right here. So it’s going to play so much totally different from sort of what we’ve seen the primary two rounds.
“I imply, in the present day, because the spherical was going by way of, you would simply inform the greens had been simply fully altering,” he continued. “Tomorrow it’s going to be even that rather more bouncy, quick. Like I stated, I’ve by no means seen the course like this. It was sort of main as much as that because the week began. We received some rain Thursday, however proper now might be precisely the place Augusta needs it. And I believe some holes, some strategy photographs may need to be tweaked based mostly on the place I’m and what golf equipment I’m hitting versus earlier years for me.”
That sounds sort of ominous. And troublesome.
To organize, Morikawa figured he would possibly watch a little bit of the early-round play on Sunday earlier than his 2:35 p.m. tee time within the final pairing with Scheffler. He would possibly study one thing about how robust the course has been arrange. A chance to do one thing particular awaits.
“In case you requested me at the start of the week I might be one again heading into Sunday, I might have taken that any time,” he stated. “You give your self an opportunity with 18 holes left, that is all you’ll be able to actually do and all the pieces that you just observe for. All of it comes collectively tomorrow hopefully. However it should be a grind, and I am wanting ahead to that.”
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