Collin Morikawa has withdrawn from the Players Championship after just one hole due to a back injury at TPC Sawgrass.
Morikawa looked to be in discomfort after taking a practice swing on the 11th tee and after seeking treatment he made the decision to withdraw. The American was at a loss to explain how the injury happened as he felt fine at the start of the round.
“I felt fine in warm-up,” Morikawa said. “Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems. And teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone. Like I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
Much of the pre-tournament coverage was dominated by talk of back injuries and if Rory McIlroy would tee it up after suffering from a twinge since last Saturday but it is two-time major winning Morikawa who has unexpectedly fallen.
The American has been in fantastic form this term, winning at Pebble Beach and finishing seventh at The Genesis Invitational and fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
“I’ve had this stuff before, and been healthy all throughout the year, been moving weight and pushing, going fast. I don’t know, like, before I even took my practice swing, it’s like you had, like a weird, like déjà vu thing. I took the practice swing and immediately knew, like, I just couldn’t get through impact,” Morikawa said. “So at that point called over my trainer, and talked about it with my caddie Mark (Urbanek), and it just sucks. I don’t know how to put it in words.
“I was ready to go swing even harder this week if I had to, right. Honestly, first hole felt great. Hit two great shots. Hit a great putt. Teed it up, nothing felt bad. Honestly, it was like, it’s like a deja vu. Like it all hit me at one second, where I was like, something doesn’t feel right. I took a practice swing, there it was, like not being able to swing.”
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