Collin Morikawa appears out of nowhere to reminisce about his best days.
The two-time major champion won his first tournament since 2023 at Pebble Beach last week and outperformed the field Sunday in tricky conditions. He then finished the first round at 3 under, leaving him with a three-stroke lead over the lead at the Genesis Invitational.
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And during Thursday’s play he once again had to battle bad weather. Heavy rain delayed the opening round, but then the wind picked up on Morikawa’s back nine. It’s truly incredible that this American rediscovered his swing under these conditions.
That was especially true Thursday when Riviera was playing something completely unique. In fact, this week’s weather has made the course play like nothing Morikawa has ever seen in golf.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images
Collin Morikawa says he’s ‘never seen greens like this week’s Riviera’
Greens usually trouble golfers because they are very hard and the ball bounces off the back of the green. When the ball is soft, it stays close to where it lands, making it easier to target the green. We saw that in the Ryder Cup as well.
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But the Riviera poses unique challenges this week. The greens are incredibly soft due to all the rain this week, but they are in great condition and still lightning fast. As a result, shots could flip over on the green and roll for miles.
It was something Morikawa had never seen before. After the opening round, he said:
“I mean, you can stop it from anywhere from the rough or flyer lie with any club. I mean, I think I had a couple of shots today. First cut and a flyer out of the rough. I’m not worried about missing the green at all.”
“It’s just pure hit and hope. And, I mean, I saw Lowry’s shot on No. 18. It’s just unfair, for lack of a better word, you really just have to hit that 30 feet and go get a birdie somewhere.”
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Often, players will reach the green only to see their ball bounce and roll away. To find joy there, you have to hit the ball past the pin and hope it rolls back high above the pin. This is what makes things so difficult for players.
Rory McIlroy found Riviera’s greens ‘very difficult’
Morikawa wasn’t the only one who struggled with this green. Rory McIlroy, who is one stroke behind the leader, said he found the conditions “very difficult.”
McIlroy said after the opener: “They’re soft but they’re fast, and I think that’s what’s difficult about them. Last week at Pebble, they were soft, but they were slow because they were worried about the wind. They’re very fast here. The ball, especially when you spin it back, it feels like it starts to go away a little bit. The ball kind of starts to go away a little bit.
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“I’m just taking the club more and getting more spin out of it. I’m hitting a lot of little chippy 7-irons and 8-irons. And even the last 9-iron I hit was 186. I hit the 9-iron as hard as I could at 25 miles an hour downwind thinking it wasn’t going to come back much. And, you know, it came back 30 feet.”
“I think it’s a combination of how soft they are, but also how fast they are. And a lot of the greens here are very tough pitches from back to front, so it’s difficult.”
The wind and rain should ease as the week progresses, but the greens won’t be as hard. Whoever learns to master them could be the winner on Sunday.
