THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 7, 2023

Collin Morikawa

TPC Sawgrass

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Collin Morikawa to the interview room here at the 2023 PLAYERS Championship. Five-time winner on the PGA TOUR. Thanks for joining us for a little bit. Three top 10s this season I think in eight starts. Coming in off a missed cut, but how do you feel your game is shaping up into this week at THE PLAYERS Championship?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It's been a lot better. If I already compare 2023 to 2022, I think I've done a lot more and I've actually been able to contend, and that's been the biggest thing is coming into Sundays with nine holes or 18 holes left and being near the lead and giving yourself a chance and just letting golf kind of run out from itself. But, yeah, the couple missed cuts were weird. The game still felt really good, it's just finding little things, and last week was a little bit of a weird one, but we've got a lot of good work in the past few days, so I'm excited to be back.

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with some questions.

Q. Your first year here, you had a pretty good final day. Outside of that, not so much. You would appear that the total package of your game would fit really nice in here. Do you get impatient with that notion, or do you think, okay, I'm going to be out here a lot of years and I'm going to have some good weeks out here?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I really thought I was going to win the COVID year one, and then COVID happened. To be honest, my game has only felt good coming into this tournament in 2020. So 2021 like the game still didn't feel as good. Obviously I had that really good final round, and then last year with kind of the draw I had and just couldn't control the golf ball and still finding my swing, it was -- just for me it was impossible to play golf.

Sometimes you come to events and you feel really comfortable; you're comfortable with the setting or you're comfortable with the golf course. I feel comfortable here, and what's great about this golf course is that it does fit. I hit a lot of mid irons to short irons into greens and you have to drive it well, but it is what it is. So I'm not too worried about my previous history here. I think if I look back at a lot of tournaments so far that I've played, I've played well in years and I haven't. It's been a short career so far, but I don't really dive too deep into that.

Q. You moved to Jupiter, right?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: No.

Q. You living in South Florida now at all?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: No.

Q. Do you play, you practice with those guys at all?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: What do you mean?

Q. Do you see those, you know, these guys from the Jupiter area guys, you're not there at all practicing with them at all?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: No, I live in Las Vegas.

Q. If you had to choose what hole is your favorite on this course and which hole do you find the most challenging?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: 17 was the most challenging last year for me. Even though, yeah I think we make it harder than what it sometimes really is. It really is a 140-yard shot roughly, and if you just hit the middle of the green, most likely you're making par every single time. We can do that on the range.

I would say one of my favorite holes, I love 16. I think 16 is an awesome par-5. I think it's inviting because you can hit a really good driver, and for me it doesn't narrow up too much so I can kind of still hit my cut even though the trees are on the left. You can hit a really good second shot and set yourself up for eagle, or if you miss it a little left, you might be trying to save par. So 16 is just a nice hole, especially to prep into 17.

I guess 18th tee shot is one of the toughest ones as well.

Q. People talk about working their ball from hole to hole at this golf course. I'm just wondering, is a straight ball ever going to hurt you here?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Straight ball is never going to hurt you anywhere. You don't really have to work the ball out here though. I'm surprised to hear that. It's pretty simple. Yeah. No, I think people make it -- people overcomplicate things. There's really no reason to work it as much as you really need to unless that's your shot shape.

THE MODERATOR: Have you been out on the golf course today? Have you played all 18? Just the change to 9, what did you think of that when you saw that?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, so I played nine yesterday, played nine today. Golf course is in great shape. It rained on this weekend, and even now it's still slowly getting a little bounce. You can hear a little bounce in some approach shots and when you walk up to the greens.

9 actually is -- I think it's made it easier for me off the drive since I don't hit it as far as some of the other guys. It gives me a little more room to the right to kind of miss it. Before I had to take it down the left, and I don't know if I'll be able to get there if the wind's into me. I probably won't be able to. But there's nothing wrong with a three-shot hole, par-5 for me, and have a wedge and hopefully make birdie that way.

Q. How big of a deal was it the first time you got to play this course that you had obviously seen on TV growing up? Do you remember anything about that day? What were the circumstances and maybe do you remember like how you played 17th very first time.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I don't remember how I played it. I played two Junior PLAYERS out here for the AJGA. I think I had a decent round out here one of the days or one of the years. I think I finished top 5 or something. But no, I just remember just making golf a lot more simple back then, because you didn't really worry about what was going to happen. You're a 16, 17 year old, just hitting a golf ball and that's what you're kind of -- that's what we're trying to do now is just keep everything as simple as possible and not think about anything else and just move the ball forward.

So I had good memories coming in and I think I still do. That's kind of what I rely back upon. But sometimes you have bad rounds and they add up.

Q. Was it a thrill the first time you saw it because you knew it from TV a little bit?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, it was awesome. I think any time you're able to play a golf course, whether it's on a video game or you see a tournament every single year like THE PLAYERS, it makes it a little more special. And, to be honest, I probably only cared about 17, really. Just to get to 17. But it's always special. It still is when we show up to these places like this and you kind of can remember knowing these courses when you were pretty young.

Q. There's a perception to this tournament and where it stands and on the golf schedule, in terms of its prestige, does that change in any way depending upon whether or not you've won a major? Like, if you haven't won a major does this look like it might be or if you have one in any way does that change your perception?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I'm sure whoever has won it, whatever position they have been in, whether they have won a major or not, that's kind of how they might define it. So you might hear that whoever wins, right, how they put it in perspective.

But there's something special about this week. I think not only us as players are we treated even better, but you have the caddies, our spouses, our entire team, everyone's treated just on another level. That, to be honest, I think the PGA TOUR should be held responsible and accountable every week we go, right. I mean, we shouldn't have to only have this at one event. I think this is very doable in every place we go. Whether it's in dining or what the caddies get. It's very small things, but I think that's on the TOUR to hopefully improve upon. But, yeah, I think when you look at it, I mean, there is something about this tournament that when guys show up you know everyone's here. You know everyone who wants to be the best in the world, we're all showing up here this week. So, yeah.

Q. If you should happen to win this would you consider the course that you had the best score on or the guys you beat as more of a badge of honor, so to speak?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Just the title. Just the title. That's all that matters to me. Just knowing you won THE PLAYERS Championship. I think that you never lose that spot in history, right. Whether you beat 20 guys or whether you beat 144, I think you still have and own that title for that year. There's no excuses after the fact. There's no ifs, ands, or buts. It's you got it done in whatever year and that's yours.

Q. In Full Swing there's a pretty insightful segment where we get a look into your clothing and wardrobe. Do you have, what is your personal take on joggers?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Oh, well, I'm five-nine and I have short legs, so I don't really look too good in them. I like 'em. But I don't mind it. I think now we went, what, a year ago I think I was wearing a hoodie and everyone loved the hoodie and now we're into joggers. It's a style, right. It's a trend. I think a lot of people own joggers. I think they're very comfortable to wear. I just, I don't think I fit that style or that mold as well as some other guys can pull it off.

THE MODERATOR: All right, Collin, we appreciate your time and have a good week this week.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Thanks, guys.