GOLF: Collin Morikawa returns to action at RBC Canadian Open

Collin Morikawa says he is feeling relaxed, if not fully well-rested, as he returns to competition at the RBC Canadian Open after a four-week break from the PGA Tour.

The 29-year-old American has not played since finishing tied for 55th at the PGA Championship. During that stretch, he managed a lingering back injury while also adjusting to life as a first-time father.

“Just a different perspective on life, I think. I’m just enjoying every day,” Morikawa told reporters Wednesday at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ontario. “I can stare at a camera, I can stare at my little one just non-stop and kind of forget about what else is going on.”

“I know at the same time I still have a job to do when I’m out here and that’s what’s great kind of being back,” he added. “But when I’m out there playing you’re kind of playing a little bit differently, your mind’s in a different spot. I think I’m a lot more positive out there and hopefully I can allow my body to relax and go out and play golf and enjoy it again.”

Morikawa said he has received plenty of advice from fellow PGA Tour players about life as a new parent, but admitted the challenges of sleep deprivation have been real for both him and his wife, Katherine Zhu.

“That’s a real thing,” he said of disrupted sleep. “So I won’t push it on my wife that I’m getting some great sleep out here. But your body gets used to taking 50-minute naps and learning how to run off that.”

Morikawa, a two-time major champion, has already won once this season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and has added four other top-10 finishes, including a tie for seventh at the Masters.

His back issue first flared during a practice swing at The Players Championship in March, forcing him to withdraw and miss subsequent events. He said stepping away from competition provided a necessary reset.

“I left the PGA Championship uncomfortable in a way,” Morikawa said. “I’ve been grinding this kind of back injury since The Players. It still hadn’t felt that comfortable, so it was nice to take a full reset and focus on other things going on in life.”

Looking ahead, Morikawa said he is still searching for full consistency in his swing but feels progress is being made ahead of next week’s U.S. Open.

“There’s still a trust factor that I’m looking for going into tomorrow and into next week,” he said. “But it’s a lot better of a swing than I’ve been putting on, and that’s a positive thing for me.”

“I still feel like I hit great shots when I need to,” he added. “But consistency-wise, if I can build that this week, it will be a great boost into next week.”

Morikawa is playing the RBC Canadian Open for the first time since his professional debut in the event in 2019, when he tied for 14th.

— Field Level Media/Reuters