British Open 2021
Magic from Morikawa
American shows big-game pedigree with fine display on first two days at Royal St George's
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American Collin Morikawa, who won his first Major title at last year's PGA Championship, blasting out of the rough in the second round of the British Open at Royal St George's yesterday. He had a six-under 64.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON • Collin Morikawa showed no sign of inexperience when he surged to a second-round 64 to lie on nine-under 131 at the British Open yesterday.
It is the second-best 36-hole score in British Open history.
The American, last year's PGA Championship winner, is making his first appearance at the Open and played for the first time on British soil last week at the Scottish Open, where he finished tied 71st.
However, the 24-year-old has already shown an ability to raise his game for the big occasion during his short career - he turned professional in 2019 - and he did so again at Royal St George's yesterday.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Morikawa said: "I feel pretty good. Towards the end of the round we stopped hitting fairways and making a few birdies, but overall, it's a very good 64 and I will take it.
"It was great conditions for scoring and I made a lot of fairways early on. Bit more of a grind the last few holes.
"We have to just stick to that game plan for the next couple of days. It was a little cold and I kept that sweater on, but it's beautiful and I expect to see some low scores."
In just seven Major appearances, Morikawa, who has a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, has finished in the top 10 three times, including his PGA Championship victory.
The last debutant to win on his Open debut was Ben Curtis in 2003, also at Royal St George's.
But while Curtis was a rank outsider who never matched the heights of his golden week in Sandwich, Morikawa is already ranked fourth in the world.
Starting out yesterday at three under, he picked up two shots in the first seven holes before hitting his stride around the turn.
Birdies at the eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th and 14th briefly took him to 10 under before he dropped his only shot of the day at the par-four 15th.
Until that bogey, he looked set to lower the course record of 63 held by Nick Faldo and Payne Stewart and even threatened Branden Grace's 62 at Royal Birkdale in 2017, the best round in Major championship history.
Another birdie putt on the 18th hit the lip of the cup and stayed out.
Rory McIlroy made the cut with a second straight level-par 70 but the four-time Major champion was still searching for the spark to ignite a challenge.
He admitted he had a nervous walk down the 18th fairway not knowing if he had done enough to avoid missing the cut.
But a birdie on the last for the Northern Irishman that took him to level par for his opening two rounds should be enough to hang around for the weekend with the projected cut set at one over.
The 2014 British Open champion will need a remarkable final two rounds if he is to end a seven-year wait to win another Major.
"I need to go out and play really well tomorrow and then I need to pray for a bit of wind in the afternoon and see where that gets me," added the world No. 11.
"Right now, I'm just trying to play my own game and not even look at the board."
PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson will miss the weekend after following his nightmare 10-over opening round of 80 with a 72.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
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