“Start From the Basics Again” – Collin Morikawa Reflects on Challenges and Coaching Transition at the 2024 Masters

Collin Morikawa recently disclosed that for the Masters, he decided to make some changes to his golf game and start from the basics again. During a discussion about this shift, the American professional golfer also announced that he ended his partnership with his coach, Mark Blackburn, even though the coach had amazing knowledge of the sport. 

Morikawa then went on to mention that he’s been in discussions with his former coach, Rick Sessinghaus, but they haven’t finalized their partnership yet. Nevertheless, Morikawa credited his return to basics for carrying him through the first 62 holes successfully.

Collin Morikawa said (via Golf Week):

“I just had to take a step back and start from the basics again. It worked out (for 62 holes).”

Morikawa had a solid beginning at the Masters, managing three birdies against two bogeys in the first round to finish 1 under par. His performance improved over the next two rounds, scoring 2 under par and 3 under par respectively.

However, his fourth and final round led to a disappointing finish. Starting well by earning a birdie and briefly sharing the lead, his momentum was disrupted by a double bogey on the par-4 9th hole, followed by another double bogey on the par-4 11th hole, which significantly affected his game.

With two more birdies and one bogey, the 27-year-old golfer ended the round at 2 under par and in the T3 position. After which the golfer shared the lessons that he learned from the Augusta event on his X handle which reads as:

“A few things I’ve learned from this week.”

1. “Don’t hit it in the water on 11, duh”

2. Get better at tee flips so I’m always going second”

A few things I’ve learned from this week.
1. Don’t hit it in the water on 11, duh
2. Get better at tee flips so I’m always going second

— Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) April 15, 2024

Additionally, Collin Morikawa also discovered the importance of sticking with familiar equipment during major tournaments such as the Masters. Although he initially switched to a new putter for the first round, he made adjustments to his equipment as the event progressed. Let’s find out the reason behind his switch in the middle of the event and the list of equipment he used during his Masters tournament.

What Equipment Did Collin Morikawa Use at the Masters?

At the Masters, Collin Morikawa initially opted for a TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter but later reverted to his old and familiar TaylorMade TP Soto blade. The two-time major championship winner admitted that he wasn’t comfortable with the new equipment, prompting the switch back to the putter with which he felt more at ease.

It is important to note that Collin Morikawa uses equipment solely from the TaylorMade golf equipment brand. Here is the list of equipments that he used at the Masters:

• Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamama D+ Limited 60 TX shaft
• Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5, 18 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80TX shafts
• Irons:  TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P7CM prototype (7-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
• Wedges:  TaylorMade MG4 (50, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts
• Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto*
• Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
• Grips: Golf Pride Z Grip / SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0

Despite falling short of victory at the Masters, Collin Morikawa achieved his best finish this year with a T3 position. His current form leaves anticipation for his performance in the remaining tournaments of the season, with fans eager to see if he can secure a victory to add to his list of accomplishments.