By:
Jack Hirsh
January 8, 2023
Collin Morikawa’s collapse Sunday began with a bladed bunker shot on 14.
Getty Photos
There are quite a few methods to exhibit how unbelievable Collin Morikawa’s collapse and Jon Rahm’s subsequent rally have been Sunday, however this one could be the most effective.
In response to Golfbet, Collin Morikawa was a -20000 favourite to win the Sentry Event of Champions on the flip of the ultimate spherical. That’s 1-to-200 odds, which means a bettor must wager $200 simply to win one greenback on him to win the match at that time. Jon Rahm, at the moment six behind, was +4100, which means for those who have been fortunate sufficient to guess on him then, a $5 guess would have netted $205.
That’s mainly golf’s equal of ESPN’s win chance graph being at, like, 99 p.c for Morikawa.
So what went fallacious?
‘Disappointment. I don’t know. It sucks’: Collin Morikawa digests epic collapse
By:
Nick Piastowski
For 67 holes Morikawa was the one participant to not make a bogey on the Plantation Course at Kapalua. Then he made three in a row at 14, 15 and 16.
After all, Morikawa’s much-improved placing, which via 54 holes had been the most effective within the area by Strokes Gained: Placing, lastly betrayed him earlier within the spherical.
He three-putted the par-5 Fifth, lacking a 5-footer for birdie. That was the primary signal of hassle, regardless of rebounding on 6 together with his third birdie of the day.
On 9, Morikawa missed a 7-foot birdie putt and settled once more for par on considered one of Kapalua’s gettable par-5s. Then he missed 11-footers at 11 and 13.
However the true injury was executed on holes 14 via 16. Right here’s the way it occurred:
No. 14, Par-4, 284 yards (Fifth best gap of the week)
Morikawa birdied this uphill driveable par-4 every of the primary three rounds and got here to the tee nonetheless holding a three-shot lead after Rahm made three birdies in a row. His tee shot discovered the identical bunker he bought up and down out of Friday for birdie.
On Sunday, as an alternative of blasting out to inside 10 toes, he bladed his second shot over the inexperienced, leaving a troublesome downhill pitch.
Profitable is tough.
As soon as main by 7, Collin Morikawa is now tied for the lead.
His first bogey of the week leads to a co-lead with Jon Rahm. pic.twitter.com/PRiFBqvfGr
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 8, 2023
“The drive off 14 wasn’t that dangerous,” Morikawa mentioned after the spherical. “I’ve been in that bunker, it’s not prefer it’s an unimaginable bunker shot. Usually 10 out of 10 instances you’re placing that to inside 15 toes at worst. I caught it skinny.”
His pitch got here up about 10 toes brief and he missed the par effort for his first bogey all week. Rahm buried a brief eagle strive a gap forward on 15 and Morikawa’s six-shot result in start the again 9 had fully evaporated.
No. 15, Par-5, 530 yards (third best)
Morikawa mentioned he didn’t really feel like he had misplaced management of the match after the miscue on 14. He knew he nonetheless had the reachable par-Fifth fifteenth subsequent and par-5 18th to play.
He’d additionally birdied 15 the primary three days, and on Sunday, he put his tee shot in nearly the identical spot because the final two rounds, about 250 yards out.
Jon Rahm storms again to win Sentry Event of Champions as Collin Morikawa collapses
By:
Jack Hirsh
However as quickly as he hit his 5-wood strategy to the uphill inexperienced, he understand it wasn’t good.
“No!” he shouted in disgust.
His ball landed on the entrance proper fringe of the inexperienced however shortly kicked off and rolled again about 30 yards down the slope, leaving probably the most troublesome pitch photographs on the course.
“[I] simply pushed the 5-wood simply sufficient and knew it was going to roll down,” Morikawa mentioned. “Practiced that chip a bunch too and clearly not sufficient.”
His first try was a straight-up chunk that carried perhaps midway up the slope earlier than coming proper nearly proper again to his toes.
He did properly to hit the following pitch 8 toes previous the flag for his par strive. It was then he bought a way of the scenario with Rahm forward.
“I bought on the inexperienced and also you notice I’m placing for par to remain tied for the lead,” Morikawa mentioned. “At that time, it’s somewhat totally different feeling than what you had early on.”
He missed the par effort. For the primary time since Thursday, he was trailing.
No. 16, Par-4, 360 yards (sixth best)
The sixteenth was simply salt within the wound. Morikawa’s drive discovered the green, proper of a line of bunkers down the center of the brief par-4, and simply in entrance of one other one.
From simply 77 yards, nevertheless, his strategy spun off the false entrance of the inexperienced and once more rolled again down a slope, 20-plus yards from the opening.
He performed one other stable pitch to seven toes, however his putt carried just a bit an excessive amount of velocity and glided by on the excessive facet.
In simply three holes, Morikawa had gone from main by three to trailing Rahm by two.
Rahm nonetheless did properly to come back from behind, capturing 10 below Sunday. Morikawa’s one below spherical was greater than three strokes above the course scoring common for the spherical and he was requested if Rahm received the match, or if he misplaced it.
“A little bit little bit of each. I imply one below on this course just isn’t an excellent rating. It actually isn’t,” he mentioned. “I used to be thee below via no matter, six holes. three-putted 5 as properly.
“He nonetheless shot 63. However I nonetheless, you already know, I nonetheless had it inside attain. If I don’t make these bogeys and I make par, we’re proper there.
“So he positively made the birdies when he wanted to. However I additionally made bogeys. If you’re getting bogeys at the moment of the match they’re pricey. I positively felt the load of that.”
Jack Hirsh
Golf.com Editor
Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is 2020 graduate of Penn State College, incomes levels in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his highschool golf group and nonetheless *tries* to stay aggressive in native amateurs. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but in addition producing, anchoring and even presenting the climate. He may be reached at [email protected].