Collin Morikawa enters the 2026 Masters managing a back injury and altered prep, saying he’s “taking it day by day” as Augusta week begins.
Collin Morikawa arrived at the 2026 Masters carrying more uncertainty than momentum, but the two-time major champion is still trying to find a way forward at Augusta National.
Morikawa, one of the most closely watched players in the field this week, admitted Monday that his recovery from a back injury remains a work in progress and that his body still isn’t fully responding the way he hoped.
“The honest truth is I’m taking it day by day,” Morikawa said. “It’s not exactly where I want to be, and it’s unfortunate, but that’s just the body, and I can’t push it. It’s been a little bit of a mental battle just trying to trust with where it’s at. The back actually feels fine. It’s just other parts of the body not cooperating a little bit how I want.”
That’s a major shift for a player who looked like a legitimate Masters threat just a few weeks ago. Before the injury setback, Morikawa had built strong form with a fifth-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
But since withdrawing early from The Players Championship last month, he hasn’t completed a full tournament, leaving questions about both his health and his ceiling this week.
Morikawa had originally been listed in the field for the Valero Texas Open, but chose not to compete. Even so, he said the extra time wasn’t wasted.
“I’ve been hitting balls for the past week, so I ended up pulling out of Valero last week and was able to hit balls and continue to play,” Morikawa said. “But there’s a comfort level, and this isn’t a place where you want to be uncomfortable, but sometimes you’ve got to find other ways to get around a golf course.
“So I’m kind of making a different game plan than I think I’ve come up with in the past … some shots that you might be able to hit in the past, you might not be able to hit right now. But yeah, it’s a work in progress. But each day [I’m] just staying positive, trying to get through it.”
That adjusted approach matters because Morikawa has traditionally played well at Augusta National.
In five Masters appearances, he has five top-20 finishes, including a top five in 2022 and a third-place result in 2024 when he played in the final pairing with Scottie Scheffler.
Still, this week feels different. Morikawa acknowledged that frustration is part of the equation, even if he’s trying not to force his way through it.
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I can’t do anything stupid and push my body in a way it doesn’t want to do,” Morikawa said.
“What’s amazing is chipping and putting still feel great. The putter feels amazing. Just got to be able to get the ball there, which like the opposite of how I’ve been my entire career. It’s just part of it. However and whenever I get out of this little back stuff and body stuff, just go out and trust the things that I’ve been doing, and hopefully they click again.”
For now, Morikawa’s Masters plan is simple: manage the body, trust the short game and keep moving forward one day at a time.
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