2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic: Top 10 Power Rankings
The Rocket Mortgage gets some much-needed star power with Collin Morikawa making his debut appearance.
Unfortunately, he’s not playing at the peak of his powers right now, and that is the reason he’s not higher in this week’s power rankings.
On the bright side, Morikawa was on the brink of missing the cut a couple weeks ago at the U.S. Open before rallying for a T-14th finish. He shot 69-69 his last two rounds at Los Angeles Country Club as one of just four players to be in the 60s each day on the weekend.
The momentum unfortunately did not carry over as he missed the cut at the Travelers Championship.
A couple extra days off could be a blessing in disguise. More practice, more rest, and more time to brush up on Detroit Golf Club are all good things. Morikawa admitted earlier in the month he’s been dealing with a back injury, which can be a contributor to playing below his lofty standards.
On the flip side, there’s no reason to be playing this week unless he feels healthy, so perhaps the back injury, which prompted a withdrawal from the Memorial Tournament, was just a blip on the radar.
Morikawa owns three top-10s and five top-15s this season on the PGA Tour. He probably deserves to have a win at this point and had a great chance at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, where he took solo second.
His best golf has been on the West Coast. The Californian won’t get to return to his home state this year, but he will be going across the pond next month to the Open Championship.
He’s just two years removed from winning his second major across the pond.
Morikawa would love a good showing this week to get the good vibes going in advance of Royal Liverpool.
The 26-year-old ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained per round (1.355). He’s second in SG approach-the-green (1.135) and fifth in SG tee-to-green (1.574).
Short game has been Morikawa’s weak point this season. On a course like this week’s where birdies come in bunches and green surrounds aren’t too daunting, I like Morikawa to ball strike his way to a high finish in Michigan.