SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 6, 2023

Collin Morikawa

Plantation Course at Kapalua

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you characterize your play today?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Just similar to yesterday, pretty solid, made some good putts. Obviously it played a lot harder with kind of the wind, and just the fairways rolling pretty fast, you end up in a lot of spots where you're just going to end up in the rough. 1, 13, 10, even. It's just going to happen.

You just got to play shots and kind of hit 'em to good spots and thankfully we were able to take advantage of enough holes today to kind of keep those birdies going.

Q. You talked about the fact that you've seen this wind over the last couple years you've been here. Does that help you as you play this golf course?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Somewhat. The course is playing firmer than before, so you have to adjust on a few holes. But just knowing kind of the normal wind direction that we have seen and I think that we're going to see over the next couple days, it just kind of allows you to go up to these tees knowing what to do and knowing where balls might end up and not getting frustrated that you're on 1 here and the ball's most likely going to end up in the rough.

Q. It's usually hard to work in changes to your golf game and take it from the putting green or chipping green to the course. Why are you not having a hard time with that?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I mean, even that first week at Mayakoba, I thought I putted a lot better and a lot more consistent, even though that was the first week.

I think it's just because, like they've all been better changes, but they've all been really simple changes. Putting-wise it's not like I'm trying to think like perfectly take it back, don't pull it in, don't take it out. It's just really take it back and hit the putt on the right speed. Just little things, just trying to get, just being more aware. And now I'm aware. If I hit a bad putt out there, what's the cause. Like, was it speed, was it this or that.

Like, before, it was just rolling the dice and guessing. So it's just I have a little, I'm at ease now, knowing if I hit a bad shot or a good shot, just what I'm doing.

Q. It seems like speed is a real focus for your putting now. Is that fair to say?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I would say kind of, I worked with Stephen a couple weeks ago, right after Christmas. We just talked a lot and kind of went on this path of just trying to get good speed and it's kind of worked into everything on how I'm reading them and how I'm going through the motions there.

Q. Are you typically kind of a sponge for information when you get it?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I would say so. I think that's what I've kind of done. I've never, I would say in the four, almost four years I've been out here, I've never leaned on one person. I just kind of sit back and listen. It's hard because everyone does something different and everyone's doing it differently, right, but for me, it's just kind of you just want to listen and just learn about how much you can do it and try.

Golf is so interesting because like I might do it the same way as someone else, but the feels and how I describe it are completely different. Not one person is the same. So it's on our duty to go and figure out what that is. And having guys like my coaches, I can bounce ideas off of, and we can figure out how to get into these similar spots and just kind of be in this range of what works and what doesn't.

Q. Do you ever try to copy somebody?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah.

Q. Is it a trap?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: But like -- it's not a trap. It's just, I think when you copy them, you got to know what you're doing. When I've copied other people, it's like I know what I think, I think I know what I'm doing, but maybe sometimes you don't really understand the overall effect of what happens, right? And maybe that's the secret of knowing what it does, right.

So I think at the end of the day we're all trying to copy someone. I mean, Stephen's bringing in a wealth of knowledge on putting. Parker's bringing a wealth of knowledge in short game. It's just kind of putting us in a bubble and just getting us close enough to where we make our own kind of feels and just kind of go from there.

Q. Between the short game and the putting, which one of the improvements are you happier with?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Short game's only been, what's today, the 6th? I mean, it's only been six days. So short game hasn't really been too long. But it's been exciting because now I think I know the path I'm going on. Forget about what happened on 18. Like, I know what I did. You just kind of go from that. You just learn from it.

Putting's been really fun because now I'm excited to have my putter out and I'm excited to putt, even from the first time we started putting, because it was like something new. It was like a kid just going out and having fun. But I'm sure that's how short game will kind of end up. And that's how hitting has been right now this week, too, is just these feels have just been, it's been fun because it's kind of, it clicks and you know where you're at and just kind of go from there.

Q. When is the last time you felt that way about your putting?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: (Laughing.) It's been awhile. I don't know. What's cool is that I've had weeks, short little stints, of having putting like that, right? But I mean, it's felt good since Mayakoba, which has been the first week we worked with, that I've worked with Stephen. And it's just every time I talk to him, we just kind of build and layer that off of.

I'm sure we'll hit a point where it's like, You remember what you did back in this spot? Let's just go back to that. But right now, we're just piecing together and just kind of layering things. And what's been really cool is that, I think where we're at right now, and I've seen it through two rounds, is that we're at a good spot where I'm just kind of free on the golf course, just not worrying about much, just going out and putting, and I think that's what some of the best putters say. They just go out and hit the putt and know it's in.

Q. What disappointed you the most last year?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I would say my attitude. It just got, it was very frustrating. It's hard not to be frustrated, right? You think you're playing well -- exactly, it's golf. But to know that you have it in you and you know you've been able to close it out and been able to play well, and I started the year off all right and then just kind of after PLAYERS, it kind of went on a little downhill climb.

Yeah, it sucks. It was tough. But it's golf and I've kind of learned from it. You just look at it at a different perspective and just realize, look, it's going to happen. You just dig yourself out of it and learn and get better from it. And if I didn't get better from it and I didn't push myself to work a little harder and motivate myself in certain ways to know where I want to be and set my goals, then there's no reason to be frustrated. But it was frustrating because I know where I want to be.

Q. It wasn't a terribly long slide, if you want to call it that.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It felt long.

Q. I'm sure it did. You're first one in how long? Certainly on TOUR.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I mean, college I would say it was pretty smooth. To be honest, I don't know.

Q. Have you had many struggles in life?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: (Laughing.) Not a ton. I've had a very good life and I'm very fortunate and grateful to be where I'm at. I think that's where, you know, I kind of looking back at last year, I've got to realize that. That I do have a great life and I've got to enjoy it. But I've got to work hard. I think I saw a quote that JT might have said in his presser earlier this week is that, Look, sometimes maybe you do have to be out there, seven, eight, nine, ten hours if you want to be where we think ourselves -- set our goals.

Q. Even when you don't feel like it.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Exactly. And it's just been that extra little effort of just watching myself and like I said yesterday, checking those boxes of simply doing the right things and doing the things that are needed to get back out there.

Q. How much does this place feel like home at least a little bit to you, with your family's history and everything? A fan a few years ago found a matchbook on E-Bay, sent it to me, I got it to Rolf, he got it to you. How much does this place feel like home and your connection with the local folks?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It's great. It definitely feels like home. Even though I never lived here. My dad used to come all the time as a kid and grandparents are from here and great grandparents are from here and there's a long lineage throughout the Hawaii islands for us. And I would say it's nice to kind of feel that family, that ohana spirit around and just have people rooting you on. It's always nice.

I feel that in L.A., you feel that out here. There's not many places that I've lived, so it's nice to have that kind of extra support.

Q. How many people are here for you, family and friends, close friends, from Hawaii here this week?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I don't know the total, I mean my parents and my brother and Kat here. We had about 15 people here yesterday. So I think they will sprinkle in here and there throughout the week. But for me it's just stay focused and get the job done.

Q. The Morikawa family restaurant, that was your great grandparents; is that right?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I think so.

Q. Just knowing that that used to exist right down the road, how cool is that?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It's amazing. I mean, to think what Front Street means to the island of Maui and to the city of Lahaina. Every time we walk by, my dad, I know he just kind of goes back to being a kid. You could tell -- you know, I know exactly where it is will. Like you could tell he wishes it was still there. I wish it was still there. It would be pretty cool.