Morikawa’s Pebble Beach Wake-Up Call: When Talent Meets Tenacity

I’ve been covering professional golf for thirty-five years, and I’ve learned one thing that separates the truly great players from the merely talented ones: how they respond when the scoreboard stops cooperating. Saturday at Pebble Beach, Collin Morikawa reminded us why he earned two major championships before his 25th birthday—and why the last few years have been such a puzzle to watch.

A 10-under 62 with a record-breaking approach game isn’t just a good round. It’s a statement. More importantly, it’s a glimpse into what’s been missing.

The Numbers Don’t Lie (Except When Your Putter Does)

Let’s talk about what Morikawa actually did on Saturday, because the numbers here are genuinely impressive. He hit all 18 greens in regulation, made 11 birdies, and gained 6.472 strokes on the field in approach shots—the best Strokes Gained: Approach number in AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am history and the second best in the entire Shotlink era dating back to 2004.

For context, that’s nearly two decades of measured data. Only one player has ever done it better at this event. Think about that for a moment. This is Pebble Beach, a par-70 that doesn’t give away anything. And Morikawa’s iron play was historically good.

The concerning part? The putting statistics tell a different story. He ranks 156th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the entire season, and 159th heading into this week. That’s the swing between a potential champion and a guy missing cuts in Hawaii.

Collin Morikawa (left) and caddie Mark Urbanek (right) on the 18th hole during the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)

The Putter Problem—and Why It Matters

Here’s what strikes me most about covering Morikawa over the last few years: he’s become a putter-changer. That’s never a good sign. I caddied for Tom Lehman in the ’90s, and I watched him go through similar stretches where the stick became an obsession. It’s a slippery slope.

“The last two days have felt kind of like my old self in just being able to control the golf ball. I’m seeing a lot more pin-high shots, which is great for someone who relies on their ball-striking.”

That’s the real Morikawa talking. And notice what he’s NOT saying—he’s not talking about making putts. He’s talking about where his irons are starting. That’s because his problem, in my assessment, isn’t his swing mechanics or his mental approach to ball-striking. It’s what happens on the greens.

He’s already swapped in a TaylorMade Spider putter he borrowed from Kurt Kitayama two weeks ago. In Saturday’s round, he made just 58 feet of putts, which sounds low until you realize he was hitting it so close to the hole that this was actually a testament to his approach game. The real test comes when he has 8-, 10-, 12-footers to deal with.

The Missing-Cut-to-Wake-Up-Call Pipeline

Let’s be honest about the trajectory here. Morikawa missed the cut at Sony in Hawaii. He finished T-54 in Phoenix last week. He’s now nine starts deep without a top-10 finish dating to late June. For a guy who won two majors by age 25, this drought is real, and it has to be eating at him.

“I went into this year feeling really good about myself. You go out and play two rounds at Sony and I missed the cut and you realize, man, do I need to redo everything that you thought you were doing for the last two months. This game is stressful enough and I think I make it even more stressful for whatever reason.”

This is the honest Morikawa. And here’s what I respect about it: he’s not making excuses. He’s acknowledging the real issue—he’s his own worst enemy sometimes. In three decades watching this tour, I’ve seen plenty of talented players self-sabotage through perfectionism. It’s a thin line between having high standards and spiraling.

That’s where Rick Sessinghaus, his longtime coach, comes in. A Friday conversation reminded Morikawa of something fundamental: when he turned pro, he didn’t come out trying to make cuts or chase top-20s. He came out to win tournaments. That mindset shift on Friday led directly to Saturday’s historic performance.

A Chance to Prove Something

Here’s my take on where Morikawa stands heading into Sunday: his ball-striking is elite again. That’s not in question. The question is whether his putter and his mental approach can cooperate long enough to close out a tournament.

“I think I can still be a very solid putter, a consistent enough putter to where when it comes down the stretch, you can make those putts. I’ve seen it in the past, I’m going to dig deep into those memory banks a lot tomorrow and we’ll figure it out after.”

Morikawa is two strokes back heading into Sunday, tied for second, and he’s the kind of player who thrives with clarity of purpose. He’s already proven his irons work. If he can get out of his own way on the greens—and more importantly, if he can sustain the confidence that showed up Saturday—he’s got every chance to break through.

After thirty-five years covering this tour, I’ve learned that the difference between a player in decline and a player finding his way back is often just one solid weekend. Saturday at Pebble gave us permission to believe Morikawa might be on the right side of that equation again.