U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2024

June 13, 2024

Collin Morikawa

Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 2)

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: Please join me in welcoming Collin Morikawa after an even par-70. Talk about the test out there.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It's a grind. I felt a lot of emotion on the last two holes just because it's not -- birdies aren't just coming anyone's way and it's nice to finish on that note.

Hit two poor shots and one bad bunker shot. It wasn't that bad on 9. A pretty bad putt for my par putt on 15. But other than that, I felt like I played pretty good. Very, very happy I got out with even par after today.

Q. What did you see during your practice rounds that maybe helped you today?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I think I just felt really comfortable out there. I knew where I needed to hit it.

But it's just playing tough. There's so many spots out there where you think you might miss it in a good spot but then it's really a tough up-and-down, and you're always 15, 20 yards away from the hole.

We took that to our knowledge and hit some really quality shots, and 30 feet was really good for birdie out here.

Q. Twice you were able to bounce back with a birdie on the next hole. Were those holes where you knew that you had the opportunity, or was there something about being able to dig deep and get right?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I don't think there's a lot of -- you can't label a lot of these holes as, like, screaming birdie opportunities. But from 20 feet you're able to make a lot of putts if you're underneath the hole and you give yourself an uphill putt. I just felt good. I got very lucky on 10 pulling it left having a decent lie and pulling off an incredible shot there.

For me, it's just -- the doubles hurt. I wanted to minimize as many bogeys and doubles as possible. Just have to take that into tomorrow.

Look, I think the amount of birdies I made shows that I can still shoot a low score, so three more days, hopefully we can just kind of continue that.

Q. Were you surprised to see that bunker shot roll and roll and roll and go down the slope?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: No. A lot of the bunkers, they're very different. Some have a lot of sand -- like the one on 17 had a lot of sand, the one on 9 had less sand. I wasn't surprised. I hit a bad shot. I flew it halfway and I was trying to barely land it on the green are. But that's just where any other circumstance you feel comfortable if you did fly it that far.

This is one of those courses where you literally take your medicine, and if you have eight feet for par, you have eight feet for par, versus making double and I'm 30 yards away from the hole.

Q. Overall do you think that good shots were properly rewarded today and poor shots were adequately punished?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah. I think the hardest hole was 15. J.T., Brooks and I, we didn't sniff hitting the green. The best spot I thought was probably just pulling it hard left. I didn't hit that bad of a shot, and I missed by number by three yards, four yards, and it was screwed over the back edge.

I think a lot of the par-4s were playing fairly fair. I hit my irons pretty good, and when you do that it's going to feel a little bit easier, but I thought where those pins were fair.

Tough, very tough, but fair. With some of the downgrain areas, 2 -- I don't know what the hell to do on 2. 15, I don't know what to do. It's downgrain after 10 yards. It's tough.

But I thought for the most part, everything was pretty fair.

Q. After you have those double bogeys, in order to bounce back the way you did, what's your process of resetting and refocusing after holes like that?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I think now I'm not as worried. I know it's going to be tough. I know you're going to make bogeys. I'd much rather walk out with bogey.

But it wasn't -- like there's ways to compound errors, and my shots there weren't that bad to where I just mentally went to the next shot and said, oh, I'm just going to hit it. Out here you have to focus.

For me, I knew every hole out here is so tough that if I let it affect me, then you might as well just call it over and just kind of walk it on in.

But I felt like where the game is at, I still could climb back. Obviously you changed those doubles into bogeys, and you're 2-under. That's a lot different of a round.

But I'm still very happy with how I finished.