DETROIT - Collin Morikawa opened his Rocket Classic with a 3-under par 69 on Thursday, a score that might pass muster on most PGA TOUR venues, but not at Detroit Golf Club, where soft conditions and receptive greens saw birdies fly early and often.

Despite crisp ball-striking and trademark accuracy from tee-to-green, Morikawa once again found himself undone by his putter, a troubling trend that has persisted through much of the 2025 season. The two-time major champion ranks 106th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting heading into the week, and Thursday’s struggles only compounded his frustrations.

“Putted like a blind man, honestly,” Morikawa said bluntly after the round. “It's just an uncomfortable feeling shoving everything and not being able to square up the face. It's tough.”

The putting issues come even as Morikawa gamed a new Logan Olson blade-style putter that he debuted at last week's Travelers Championship, a switch aimed at sparking some confidence. But early results suggest the change has yet to pay off. The potential American Ryder Cup team member three-putted on Nos. 2, 3 and 6 on his second nine to finish his round, all leading to bogey.

On poa annua greens that demand decisiveness, Morikawa admitted to feeling tentative and unsettled.

“You have to just be confident with your stroke, and there was just no confidence today after seeing a couple miss,” he said. “Today was just, you know, nothing starting online, and that's tough when your speed's a little bit off. You're just essentially wishing, and not ideal for a course like this where you've got to take it low."

While Morikawa’s elite iron play remains largely intact, he’s ranked top 10 in Strokes Gained: Approach this season, he acknowledged that his focus on improving ball-striking has come at a cost. “I’ve been so focused on hitting my irons better that I haven't put enough, honestly, time into putting.”

The news comes in the wake of Morikawa splitting from caddie Joe Greiner this week, his second caddie change in as many months. College friend and Korn Ferry Tour player KK Limbhasut dons the straps temporarily this week, also assuming any green reading duties his player might require.

However, it’s not the green reading, Morikawa insists, but the mechanics of the stroke itself that are at fault. “Before it might have been both, and now it's like I feel like I'm reading them fine. It's just whether I can actually start it and have it with decent speed.”

With a cut likely to require something in the mid-60s on Friday, Morikawa hinted at potential changes on the greens in the form of a new grip, possibly switching away from his saw-style motion he used on Thursday.

“Yeah, very highly likely for tomorrow,” he said when asked if a grip switch was on the table. “We'll see what pops up.”

If Morikawa hopes to climb back into contention this weekend, he’ll need more than ball-striking brilliance, he’ll need to find something reliable with the flatstick, and fast.