Why this Sentry contender is attempting an uncommon pre-shot routine

Collin Morikawa flattening flag sticks along with his irons is nothing new, however he’s received a brand new set off for serving to him do it this week on the Sentry.

Morikawa didn’t win in 2024, however he ended up ending second on the Tour Championship and matched his career-high with eight top-10s. And he did all of it along with his worst ball-striking yr on Tour, ending forty fourth in strokes gained: strategy after having by no means completed exterior the highest 4 within the stat his first 4 years on the PGA Tour.

So through the offseason, Morikawa used eight weeks off to tinker along with his sport somewhat and he wound up with a brand new preshot routine.

“When you watch a whole lot of my pictures right this moment, I used to be form of doing this little preset factor earlier than a whole lot of my iron pictures,” Morikawa mentioned Thursday after opening with a seven-under 66. “Simply form of permitting the physique to get to the place it must be within the shot. However, yeah, it’s been working, which has been good. It wasn’t a two-day factor after which throw it within the trash.”

On a lot of his pictures with irons and fairway woods, earlier than Morikawa takes the membership again, he drives into his lead leg by rotating his hips open to imitate his affect place.

It’s a delicate change, however one which’s paying massive dividends for Morikawa by means of two and a half rounds at Kapalua. By way of 11 holes of the third spherical Saturday, Morikawa was fifth within the area in strokes gained: strategy, gaining greater than 4.3 pictures on the sector to date. He’s additionally missed simply two greens by means of the primary 47 holes of the match.

On Friday, he defined he got here up with the routine to assist him forestall with accidents.

“I’ve gone by means of a pair accidents with the again, simply tweaking it somewhat bit right here,” he defined after a second spherical 65. “I feel after I attempt to— not play by means of it, however your physique’s used to sure positions, and we accomplish that a lot repetition with our our bodies, that typically you simply construct dangerous patterns.

“I simply needed to simply inform myself that I can form of rotate and keep in that place and that’s all it’s actually doing. I’m not occupied with it. It’s saying, okay, you’re secure to go there, simply let it go. And it’s been good to see the minimize’s been again somewhat bit extra with somewhat bit more room.”

On Saturday, throughout a mid-round interview with NBC’s Todd Lewis, Morikawa referred to as it a set off and mentioned it was placing him in an excellent mindset for this week.

“It’s just a bit set off simply to say, ‘OK, let the physique go there,’” he mentioned. “And permit me to only ship the ball the place I need. There’s no thought actually. It’s simply do it and let it occur.”

With Morikawa and Hideki Matsuyama pulling 4 pictures away from the sector halfway by means of the third spherical, it’s clear the brand new set off is working.