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Collin Morikawa finished tied for seventh at The Masters despite dealing with a back injury that previously forced him to withdraw from The Players Championship. His decision to compete in the major tournament paid off.
Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Collin Morikawa had a week to be proud of at The Masters after finishing in a tie for seventh despite battling with injury.
A back injury forced Morikawa to withdraw from The Players Championship after one hole, with that very brief appearance last month representing his last before The Masters.
But he decided to persevere with the first major championship of the season, and it has proven to be a fantastic decision.
Morikawa ended his week at Augusta National on nine-under, where he was joined by fellow American Sam Burns.
It was just three shots behind champion Rory McIlroy, with Morikawa now taking to social media to express his feelings about his latest trip to Georgia.
Morikawa posted on his Instagram after his final round of The Masters: “The mind is a powerful tool.
“It can sometimes be positive, sometimes be negative.
“This week was all about trying to convince my body that it was safe enough to go play. “There was lots of breathing and lots of self-talk.
“My golf might have not been the prettiest, but there’s no pictures on the scorecard. “Memorable week for sure [at The Masters].”
A two-time major champion, the 29-year-old carded rounds of 74, 69, 68 and 68 throughout his impressive week.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Morikawa exceeded his Masters expectations, having undoubtedly surprised many and arguably even himself by making the cut.
But he passed that test with flying colours at Augusta, where many of his high-profile rivals failed to do the same.
It should serve as a big confidence booster for Morikawa, although he can be forgiven if he decides to step back a little after an arduous week in Georgia.
Walking the iconic course for four days would have been strenuous enough on his back, let alone his extremely hard work with his clubs.
It continues a roller-coaster 2026 season for the American, who was really finding his form before that unfortunate withdrawal at The Players.
He claimed his seventh PGA Tour win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier in the season, before finishing T7 and fifth at The Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational respectively.
Those impressive displays arrived after a missed cut at The Sony Open and a T54 finish at the WM Phoenix Open.
He’s now in superb form once more, but whether that can equate to further success on the biggest stage remains to be seen.
Morikawa clinched his maiden career major win at the PGA Championship in 2020, and added a second a year later at The Open Championship.
Read more:
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Collin Morikawa battled a back injury while competing at The Masters.
He finished tied for seventh place at The Masters 2023.
He withdrew from The Players Championship due to a back injury after playing just one hole.
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