Bryson DeChambeau isn't the only scientist in professional golf, as Collin Morikawa is another player who isn't afraid to experiment on the course.
In an effort to improve his feel and get his 2025 season back on track, Morikawa hit almost all of his approach shots with no glove on his left hand during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.
This is fun - Collin Morikawa hit most of his approach shots with no glove on Thursday at Travelers. Says he experimented with it on the range and ... it worked. Talked about feel and how golf is all about the hands. I like it — very minimalist. The only problem?
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) June 19, 2025
"It's really… pic.twitter.com/qPUTMtOVcw
You seldom see PGA Tour players going gloveless in competitive rounds. Lucas Glover has been a proponent of the no-glove movement for years, but very few players have joined him in the odd strategy. Maybe Morikawa finally realized that Glover, one of the best iron players on Tour, is on to something.
Speaking to reporters after his 3-under 67 in the first round, Morikawa explained how this experiment came to be.
“I was sitting on the range on Monday, kind of working by myself, and I’ve done bare feet, so no shoes, and that normally works, but I don’t think I’m going to do that. It’s just trying a bunch of things," Morikawa said.
"Yeah, it’s been a few-day progress. Look, I feel like I’ve been putting good swings on it, and they just keep missing in the same spot, so it’s not like my misses are all over the place. I just keep missing 30 feet left. Look, when it comes down to it, our hands are what makes us such good athletes and such good golfers is that we have so much feel. For some reason, when I’ve taken the glove off this week, it’s kind of worked."
Riding the gloveless strategy in the first round, Morikawa ranked 16th in the field in strokes gained on approach and hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. It sounds like a successful experiment so far, but the timing is a bit odd.
Last week at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, Morikawa led the field in strokes gained on approach. His 3.00 true strokes gained on approach per round was the highest mark of his entire career, per Data Golf.
Iron play hasn't been his issue all season, as Morikawa ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach and eighth in proximity to the hole in 2025. But, with no top-10 finishes since The Players Championship in March, Morikawa felt the need to make a change.
"Look, we’re crazy," he said Thursday. "Honestly, we’re crazy because we try a lot of things, but that’s what makes us really good is we’re trying to find the little things. Even though last week I think I was top five or whatever in approach, it’s like, I know I can get better and feel more comfortable. Even though it ends up close, it’s a comfort factor of just being less stressed out there."
Golf is a game of constant tinkering, even for the best players in the world. Maybe gloveless Morikawa can turn his season around and get back in the winner's circle for the first time since 2023.