Collin Morikawa admits “I’ve never been this scared in my life” after injury return

Collin Morikawa has opened up on the mental impact of his recent back injury, admitting he has “never been this scared in my life to go out and play” as he continues his return to PGA Tour competition.

The two-time major champion began the RBC Heritage with a composed four-under-par 67 at Harbour Town Golf Links on Thursday, leaving him four shots behind early leader Ludvig Åberg. 

Despite his solid start, Morikawa, 29, is still managing the lingering effects of the injury that disrupted his build-up to last week’s Masters.

Morikawa’s bogey-free opening round at Hilton Head featured four birdies and continued an encouraging run given his limited preparation. 

He finished tied seventh at Augusta National last week, a result he was delighted with given he was not fully fit.

Morikawa's return to form has come after a difficult spell that included withdrawing on his second hole of the first round at The Players Championship last month, followed by several weeks away from competition to recover and rebuild.

The injury marked a huge blow for Morikawa given he was playing some fantastic golf at the time, highlighted by a seventh PGA Tour title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am just a month previous. 

Now back in contention, Morikawa has been operating well below full capacity, admitting he has been swinging at “50%” at both The Masters and RBC Heritage as he prioritises protection over aggression.

"It was great," Morikawa said of his flawless first round of 67 that saw him rank tied first for driving accuracy on 85%. 

"Still kind of dinking it around, slapping it. 

"Limited on the shots I can play, but this is a course where I feel comfortable just being able to kind of plot my way around.

"The misses can't be as big as last week, which favoured me last week, which was very nice, but I kept it in front of me, hit some really, really good-quality iron shots, and yeah, just kind of continued the good play."

Morikawa admits the biggest challenge right now is not pain, but trust.

"It's hard to trust the body right now." he added. 

"It's a very uncomfortable feeling. I had never experienced anything like it until about a month ago. 

"There's just no trust, and that's the hardest thing, to say go fire at the shot when you're trying to play in a tournament because essentially for me I'm trying to last throughout the entire week.

"I'm going to have to be in a little bit more of a comfortable at-home setting to test how far I can get to. But we'll do that after this week."

While physically able to swing without pain, Morikawa is frank about the psychological effect of the injury.

"I think -- like I'm not in pain," said Morikawa.

"I'm just very scared, and I've never been this scared in my life to go out and play.

"But I think it's because it happened on the golf course. I've never had anything like it happen on the golf course. Every time in the gym. Then I'd go out and swing, I'm just saying, do I feel good enough to swing.

"I've just been so timid and so shy in a way because the buildup was going okay, kind of had a minor setback, and then at the end of the day it was like, I need to tee it up at the Masters.

"There was a point where it was like, okay, let's stop pushing to see how far we can get and let's see what I can just work with. I've had back issues over the past three years. We've seen it. I've just got to find a way to kind of protect it a little bit more."

Asked when he expects to fully regain trust in his body, Morikawa admitted it will take time away from tournament pressure.

"I don't know. I don't know. I think it's going to take a little bit more time at home to push the limits.

"I feel like I'm swinging a little bit better in the motion, at least, but I wouldn't say I'm putting more effort into it because, like I said, I need to be at home to say, okay, let's turn up the gears.

"If I do feel a little uncomfortable, at least I'm home, I'm not trying to play a tournament where I essentially need to make it 72 holes."

Despite the ongoing caution, Morikawa’s opening 67 suggests his game remains sharp when managed carefully. 

He remains in pursuit of an eighth PGA Tour title and a first RBC Heritage victory, with precision and control currently doing the heavy lifting while he continues to rebuild confidence in his body. And you know what they say out here after all; beware of the injured golfer.