Collin Morikawa praised for doing something ‘insane’ at The Sentry despite losing to Hideki Matsuyama in PGA Tour opener
s almost baffling at this stage that Collin Morikawa has not yet won at The Sentry, with the 27-year-old enjoying so much success at the Plantation Course over the years.
Collin Morikawa has a truly remarkable record at The Sentry. He has now played the event on six occasions, and his worst result is a tie for seventh. Meanwhile, he has finished second in two of the last three years.
It was Hideki Matsuyama who triumphed in Maui this past week. The Japanese broke the record for the lowest score to par in PGA Tour history, while Morikawa ended up three shots back.
The result does mean that Morikawa is still waiting for his first victory on the PGA Tour since the 2023 ZOZO Championship. But that winless run does not tell the full story when it comes to the two-time major champion’s form over the last 12 months.
Collin Morikawa produces an ‘insane’ iron display at The Sentry
Morikawa finished in the top 10 on eight occasions in 2024. And he has already opened his account in 2025.
Perhaps more will be made of the wait for the victory in the coming months. However, there are a number of positive signs for Morikawa, including an indication that his iron play could be back at the level which allowed him to win both the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.
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And speaking on The First Cut Podcast, Mark Immelman suggested that he was so impressed by the quality of Morikawa’s approach play throughout the week in Maui.
“This guy, with what he’s been going through, looks to me like he’s turned a corner. And to Greg’s point, he shot 30-something under par. He’s played the par fours for the week in 15 under. He’s leading the field in proximity,” he said.
“Now if you’ve listened to me, and I’ve gone on about it ad nauseam, how he was hitting greens and stuff. 66 of 72 targets this week, I know they’re big but that’s insane. That is stupid. He’s leading putts per green in regulation. So that’s strokes gained, all the comparisons out the window.”
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The worry for Morikawa as another chance to win slips through his grasp on Sunday
Morikawa hit nine approach shots to within six feet across the first three rounds. Meanwhile, he actually ended the tournament in third for strokes gained with his approach play.
It was perhaps slightly concerning that he was down in 28th in that metric during the fourth round. Ultimately, he needed something special to contend with Matsuyama on Sunday, and he did not quite have that, particularly on the front nine.
The worry is that it was Sunday which tended to hurt Morikawa in 2024. He was second heading into the final round of the Masters, while he was tied for the lead at the PGA Championship before falling away. Meanwhile, when there appeared to be a real opening for Morikawa at the Tour Championship, Scottie Scheffler was quickly able to shut the door.
But there does definitely appear to be reason to be optimistic for Morikawa in 2025.
