Collin Morikawa’s chances of winning The Masters were severely hindered after he sustained a back injury after just one hole of The Players Championship back in March.
Morikawa has not played competitively since his withdrawal from The Players and that is certainly not ideal preparation for The Masters.
The 29-year-old two-time major champion began the 2026 PGA Tour season in fine style, with a win and two top-seven finishes in just five events.
Collin Morikawa was fancied by many to win for the first time at Augusta National this year, but the back injury he suffered at TPC Sawgrass has thrown his ability to reign supreme at The Masters into doubt.
Morikawa has admitted that he doesn’t feel perfect ahead of The Masters and that will be a big concern for his fans.
And now, another update on Collin Morikawa’s current physical state has just emerged from Augusta National.
Collin Morikawa update from Augusta National ahead of The Masters
Morikawa hit the range at Augusta National on Tuesday morning.
However, he certainly wasn’t swinging at full power.
PGA Tour staff writer Paul Hodowanic took to his X account on Tuesday to provide an update on Morikawa at Augusta National.
“We continue to monitor Collin Morikawa’s status,” Hodowanic said.
“Some notable info from the range. Morikawa hit 54 balls on Monday, only a few with driver. His longest went 284 yards, 171mph ball speed.
“Just wrapped a session, hit 34 balls. Longest was 280 yards. Clearly limited.“
That doesn’t sound great, but the good news is that he was actually out there hitting balls two days before the start of The Masters.
Hopefully his back will become increasingly more comfortable as the week progresses.
What Morikawa has said about his back injury at The Masters
The two-time major winner spoke to reporters at Augusta National on Monday and responded when asked how his back really feels.
“Yeah, the honest truth is I’m taking it day by day,” Morikawa admitted.
“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, I think, 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.
“I’ve been hitting balls for the past week, so I ended up pulling out of the Valero last week and was able to hit balls and continue to play.
“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, you know, making a different game plan than I think I’ve come up with in the past.“
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