Collin Morikawa has put himself in a strong position heading into Sunday’s final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The American has already picked up a Signature Event win this season and appears to be rounding into form again at just the right time.
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Through three rounds, Morikawa has carded scores of 66, 71, and 70, leaving him four shots back of leader Daniel Berger.
Morikawa has said he needed to work on his body during the off-season, and that preparation appears to be paying off this week at Bay Hill.
Morikawa entered the tournament feeling good about his game, something that’s shown over the first three days. If he manages to come out on top this week, there will be little doubt that he’s one of the hottest players in golf right now.
The Los Angeles native feels he has an edge heading into Sunday’s final round due to how comfortable he is with his current form.
Photo by Rich Storry/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images
Collin Morikawa feels ready for final push at Bay Hill
Morikawa finished with a two-under-par 70 on Saturday, a round that showed his ability to stay in it even when everything wasn’t clicking.
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It wasn’t his best golf, but he still managed to put up a solid number and keep himself right in the mix heading into Sunday.
After the round, with daylight fading, Morikawa was asked how important it was to get through all 18 holes before play was suspended.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Even — not that I would have wanted to bogey that — but just being able to wake up and sleep in, and just kind of get the day situated.”
“It’s a huge kind of momentum thing I think for the routine, especially teeing off pretty late tomorrow.”
This meant Morikawa can stick to his usual schedule on Sunday while Berger has an early start ahead of him. That could be an advantage for Morikawa as they head into the final round.
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Collin Morikawa shared what he told his caddie after a bogey on nine at Bay Hill
Morikawa had a tough start to his round at Bay Hill, but steadied himself as the day went on.
After making the turn, he made three birdies and no bogeys across his final nine holes. That strong finish helped him jump up the leaderboard.
The birdie at 10 was an important moment for him. After the round, Morikawa explained what changed.
“It felt okay,” Morikawa said. “Nine still baffled me a little bit. I felt like I hit a really good shot and flew 12 short of where we wanted.”
“At that point I went to 10 and said to Mark, I was like, I just want to hit fairway and green. I felt like the putter could get hot. So I laid up off of 10, which I probably normally never do.”
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“I hit a great shot with a seven iron, and made that putt, and I think that kind of kick started the rest of the nine.”
That back-nine charge came at exactly the right time in what could end up being a big moment for Morikawa’s season.
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