The race to stay among the best has already begun with the FedEx Cup playoffs. Though Rory McIlroy has kept his name off the list from the first event, for the rest players, there is a huge struggle to be among the top 50 after the St. Jude Championship. Sharing the same, Collin Morikawa expressed his tactics to survive through the playoff and ultimately clinch the Tour Championship.
The six-time PGA Tour winner, including two major victories, Collin Morikawa, has been among the top names since his professional career. However, the 28-year-old faced a lot of disappointment with his performance due to not just winning, but also finishing as runner-up at multiple events. At the beginning of the season, Morikawa was placed second at the Sentry and Arnold Palmer Invitational. The close finish not only raised the frustration for the golfer but also led to an important change in the team. Now, as he steps into the playoffs, he is making his fifth caddie change.
Todd from Golf Channel asked Morikawa about his fifth caddie change and his last two events, where he missed the cut. The reporter said, “I asked him to summarize his attitude heading into the FedEx Cup playoffs.” Answering which, the golfer replied, “A little bit of both. I think it depends where you’re at in the rankings, right? So, if you are in the top five or top 10 coming into the playoffs, you can kind of look at it slightly differently, but where I’m at, where I’m sitting, you’ve got to make sure you survive in advance.” The technique to get the best result and survive has led to a strong call for the golfer. He is now partnering again with Mark Urbanek for the playoffs after Joe Griener, KK Limbhasut, Billy Foster, and JJ Jakovac. This will be his fifth change, considering his declining form.
Even for his last three-week stretch, he said, “It’s a grind. You know, it’s been a grind every once we hit roughly the players, and then that kind of rolls into the Masters, and then that rolls into the PGA, and you know, it kind of goes forth.” Further continuing, he added, “But for the playoffs, it’s just that it goes by very quickly. And like I said, every shot matters. It comes down to points, comes down to half shot, a shot out there. And you just can’t be willing to give out any of that because, you know, at the end of the day, you do want to make it to the end.” Even with his inconsistent form, Morikawa, with the new partnership, aims to restore consistency and form ahead of playoff events.
But with his past close results, Morikawa will aim to change it with his current 19th rank on the FedEx Cup Standings.
Collin Morikawa’s past performance at the playoffs
Morikawa, with his past performance in the postseason, has been close to the title. In the 2022-23 season, he finished 6th with a score of 13 under 272. Similar to 2025, the golfer had multiple top-10 finishes and a runner-up finish. Even with his St. Jude Championship in 2023, he was placed T13; and then at the BMW Championship at T25. He was still far away from winning.
But the performance, which improved in the next year, was expected to clinch the title. In 2024, Morikawa had two runner-up finishes, but the last one was hurtful. In the playoff season, with T22 and T28, the 28-year-old entered the Tour Championship. His performance of great scoring, having 66-63-67-66, was in a strong spot to clinch the title. But unfortunately, the golfer had to settle for the most heartbreaking runner-up finish of his career. He lost to Scottie Scheffler, with just 2 stroke difference.
Now, as the 2025 season’s playoff is around the corner, Morikawa is leaving no stone unturned to change his best finish. He has already been runner-up twice this year and even struggled with consistency as the schedule moved to the later stages. With five caddie switches, the golfer is all set to make an impact on the playoffs and turn the tables. But will he be able to make it? What are your thoughts on it? Share with us in the comments below.
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