Major champ issues injury update days before U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills

Collin Morikawa says he's still "a little a bit on the edge" as he is unsure whether his back will hold up ahead of the U.S. Open.

The 29-year-old two-time major champion first sustained the injury in March when he was forced to withdraw from the 2026 Players Championship after just one hole.

He returned to action at the Masters but despite finishing in a share of seventh at Augusta National the American was visibly uncomfortable and often wincing after hitting shots during the final round of the first men's major of the year. 

Morikawa played the two signature PGA Tour events after the Masters and also the PGA Championship but skipped last week's Memorial, with some suggesting he was giving his back more time to recover ahead of the U.S. Open. 

But the golfer told reporters ahead of the RBC Canadian Open that he didn't play at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted PGA Tour event at Muirfield Village because his wife Katherine gave birth to their first child. 

"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.

"There's still a trust factor that I'm looking for that I'm trying to find this week, I think, going into tomorrow and into next week essentially. But it's a lot better of a swing than I've been putting on and, for me, that’s a positive thing.

"I think when the body fully is able to have that last little puzzle piece of fully relaxing, I think the game's going to be exactly how I want. I still feel like I'm able to hit great shots when I need to.

"But just consistency-wise, I think if I can build that into this week it will be a great boost into next week."

Morikawa will be attempting to win his first major since the 2021 Open at Royal St George's. 

He said he wishes his recovery had gone a little bit better.

"But it's just building in this trust," he said. "It's going to take some time. It’s going to be hopefully tomorrow where everything feels a little bit more relaxed.

"But I'm still a little bit on edge just because I don't want it to happen again. 

"I'm doing the right steps to prevent it, but when it happens like that it's in a sense a little bit of trauma that you just kind of have to deal with."

Marco Penge withdraws from U.S. Open

Elsewhere, England's Marco Penge has confirmed he will not be teeing it up at the U.S. Open. 

The 29-year-old announced after the PGA Championship that he was taking a short break from the sport to deal with some health issues. 

He had a viral infection last November and has experienced a range of symptoms. 

In a statement, a 'gutted' Penge wrote: "My health is the number one priority for now and until I get to the bottom of the issues I will not be competing. The plan is to return fully fit. 

"I have had numerous scans and seen several specialists and we are getting close to resolving the issue that I've been struggling with for eight months. 

2I appreciate the continued support as always and I'll be back soon!"