U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2021

June 20, 2021

Collin Morikawa

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: Collin Morikawa, 1-under 70. Summarize the week for us.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: A lot of ups, a lot of downs. It happens. After Thursday I knew I had to play a really good round if I was going to at least play the weekend, and it turns out to be a great round, and I put myself in contention. Through nine holes today, I felt like I had a chance to win it.

Sometimes you just hit some bad shots and it all happened all at the wrong time. You're going to learn from it. It sucks, but the game still feels really good. That's what's exciting, knowing I have got the Scottish and I've got the British coming up, it's going to be a very fun stretch of golf.

Q. How did Torrey Pines hold up as a major championship course, and would you want to see one here again?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was great. I love anytime we're on the West Coast, and I love being in California. Props to them. I think the setup was great. It never got baked out. I think, you look at the weather, weather is really dependent on that, whether the greens are going to get really dry and bouncy. I thought it played well.

I thought today there was definitely some tough pin locations that were gettable if you're in the fairway. I think if they just grow out the rough -- I think it was kind of spotty, and I definitely got lucky sometimes this week. I think everyone did, and that's just how it is.

Q. Collin, in regards to Louis, everyone says, oh, he's just a great natural talent, but what does that mean when people say that about a golfer?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I haven't really played with Louis, but I think it shows that they stick to what they do, and what they do best is play golf. He sticks to his game. He's always consistent. Especially at the majors, there's something that clicks with him that he's ready to go out and play. I think at majors, there's a sense of like comfortability, when you show up, just knowing that you don't have to prep differently, you just have to go about your business. He's figured it out.

Hopefully, we'll see what happens, if he's able to close it out. It's just about figuring out how are you prepped by Thursday and just being ready to play some golf.

Q. You are in the Olympics at least after this. What's your plan?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I'm going. I'm so excited. Obviously, it's a little consolation to not winning here this week, but I'm going to go and play. It's going to be one of the best things of my life. To think back that I was an amateur two years ago, literally two years ago, and to be on this team and to be heading to Tokyo puts a smile on my face. I'm really excited.

Q. Were you paying attention at all to the leaderboard, to the carnage going on? Is that what you expect on Sunday at a U.S. Open?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I look at it, I definitely want to know where I stand. I want to know where everyone's at. This course, you can just see by the leaderboard it's really bunched. No one, I don't think, shot 66 or below this week. Everyone is really bunched, and you just had a bunch of people -- I wonder if Jon made it. I guess he did. But it just shows the course.

You're not going to make a ton of birdies, but if you can kind of not make a ton of bogeys, you're going to be in it for Sunday.

Q. Collin, a lot of players have had to wait until their 30s or 40s to win major championships. Great players like Phil, Justin Rose, Adam Scott have checked that box. Early in your career, what's it like when you arrive to a major championship, in terms of like being able to, not freewheel it, but not having to deal with that monkey?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It helps so much. To not being asked -- I think I'm fourth in the world right now. To not show up every week and be like, "when are you going to win a major?" It's a huge weight off your back because you don't have to worry about that. It's a simple question. Really to all of us, it should mean nothing, but it does. Majors change our careers. They change the pathway of what your career might look like in the end. You guys look at us and define us by success on how many majors we may win.

So definitely getting that first one off the back, it feels great, but I want to win more. Just being somewhat in contention on this Sunday, it felt really good.