Collin Morikawa declares he’s hitting it best since 2021, searches for first win in 18 months at Arnold Palmer Invitational

ORLANDO, Fla. — Collin Morikawa paused for a moment to think.

Morikawa had just fired an impressive 5-under 67 at an increasingly difficult Bay Hill Club & Lodge on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round. He was in complete control of his golf ball, leading in the field in approach play.

That’s nothing new for Morikawa, who has long been one of the best iron players on the PGA TOUR. But this week has felt different even for Morikawa. Asked in his post-round press conference when he last felt this good with his irons, his answer was revealing.

“It's been awhile since I've hit my irons like this, it honestly has. Just start lines, amount of cut, we're looking all the way back to 2021, essentially,” Morikawa said.

That’s a notable admission, given that was also the last time he was on top of the sport. Then just 24 years old, Morikawa won The Open Championship 2021 to nab his second major championship in just five major starts as a professional. He reached a career-best No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Golf looked easy and Morikawa looked like one who could sustain it.

It is never that simple in this game, though. In the intervening years, Morikawa’s iron-clad iron play dropped from best-in-the-world to elite. His putting came and went week by week. Morikawa stopped closing at an elite rate, with just one win to his name – 2023 Baycurrent Classic – since.

Of course, it’s all relative. Morikawa has remained one of the game’s best, he just hasn’t been the best. Others rose higher.

There have been quick fixes in that time, where Morikawa has been able to sustain his swing for a few rounds and string together a few tournaments. It hasn’t approximated the current control he feels at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He hit 14 of 18 greens on Saturday and gained nearly four strokes on the field with his approach play.

“I look back at last year, obviously at the end of the year, and I never felt like my game was fully in control,” Morikawa said. “And I showed up in Hawaii and I felt like the eight weeks I put in was like really, really good work. It's tough to say sometimes when you feel good, but you just -- there's a difference of like going into a week and finding something that week and just kind of playing with it, which you can win, I've done it in the past. But if you want to go on a long run or you want to go on a nice stretch, you really have to be in control.”

Morikawa, with his comments, believes he could be ready for one of those stretches. It could start Sunday at Bay Hill with a win, a place he feels suits his game even though the results haven’t lived up to that expectation. Morikawa missed his last two cuts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but his game never felt great coming in. With his game feeling better than ever, he wasn’t surprised by the results.

“It's a course that if you're not playing great it's going to show. It's just one of those that you can't fake it,” Morikawa said.

The American made six birdies to just one bogey in the third round, including birdies at 16 and 18 that pushed him to 10-under, one shot better than Russell Henley, who he will play with in the final round. Only two other golfers are within four shots of Morikawa – Corey Conners (8-under), Jason Day (7-under).

Morikawa began the year with a runner-up finish at The Sentry, finishing 32-under but still losing by three strokes to Matusyama, who just rose higher.

That conjured yet another question of when Morikawa will be the one standing alone at a big-time PGA TOUR event. With complete confidence and freedom with his swing this week, it’s as good a time as any for Morikawa.