Collin Morikawa looks back to his best after an encouraging couple of weeks on the PGA Tour.
First, he returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2023, claiming a hard-fought victory at Pebble Beach. He showed nerves of steel to birdie the iconic 18th hole to claim the win.
Then, grouped with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, Morikawa performed well at Riviera Country Club. While he wasn’t in contention for the win, his play in difficult conditions saw him comfortably make the cut and finish in the top 10.
This form seemingly came out of nowhere, and the American’s struggles from 2025 looked to be continuing at the start of the year. But Morikawa explained that playing on TGL actually helped him get back to the form that made him a two-time major winner.
Collin Morikawa says TGL helped him to win at Pebble Beach
Standing on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach, Morikawa had to wait 20 minutes to play his shot. That’s because Jacob Bridgeman found himself in some trouble and had to play his way off the beach on the left side of the green.
But Morikawa remained patient, then played a brilliant shot to find the rough just off the side of the green, and got up and down for birdie. And he said playing on TGL helped him to maintain his composure in that moment.
He said, “Yeah, I talked about it, 18 at Pebble, I had to wait for a long time, and out here, even though it’s a very fast pace, you do have a lot of waiting time. Singles, you’re kind of waiting, and you’re trying to figure out how to stay loose, how to move around, how to stay focused on things.
“I think it’s been not only the mental side of that, of figuring out what to do, but also just kind of keeping our games tidy, learning how our swings are reacting under pressure. You can’t replicate this type of pressure even though it’s a very small setting. I still feel it.
“I felt it on my first putt today. I felt it on my shots throughout the round. You feel pressure, I think, that would be different than a Thursday, Friday and potentially even sometimes on an early Saturday round.
“So it’s good. You’re able just to learn a lot about yourself and go out there and hopefully take that into the long weekends.”
So while TGL hasn’t quite captured the imagination of the golfing world as its creators, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, might have hoped, it has helped Morikawa get back to his best.