Collin Morikawa was still trying to come to terms with his withdrawal from THE PLAYERS Championship when he stopped a few minutes earlier to speak with reporters at TPC Sawgrass. Between angry, upset, resigned and terribly frustrated, the world No. 4 and recent winner at Pebble Beach could not find an explanation for what had happened to him. His face was the picture of bewilderment.
Everything happened on the tee of the 11th hole. Morikawa had started his round on the 10th with a routine par. In other words, he had just begun his round. Without warning, on reaching the 11th tee he took a practice swing, not particularly forceful, and felt a pain in his back, specifically in the right lumbar area. That’s where it all stopped. He quickly put his hand on the area and already knew he wasn’t going to be able to continue. He didn’t call any physio or doctor. He spoke with his caddie, informed an official, shook hands with his no less bewildered playing partners, Ludvig Aberg and Si Woo Kim, and went back to the clubhouse.
Collin Morikawa has withdrawn from @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/HsffCRoKH4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2026
Shortly afterwards, in front of the journalists, he explained what he had felt. “I felt fine during the warm-up. There had been no sign of back trouble. I went out at the 11th, took a practice swing and knew immediately that something was wrong. I’d had that feeling before. I just can’t get through the shot. Believe me, I would play if I could. It’s the worst feeling in the world,” he said, visibly upset.
This is not the first time something like this has happened to him; in fact, there was something almost paranormal about his whole account. “I was ready to play and hit even harder this week if needed. Honestly, the first hole went very well. I hit two very good shots. I made a great putt. I teed it up and didn’t feel anything wrong. Really, it was like a déjà vu. As if everything had hit me at once, and I thought: something’s not right. I took a practice swing and there it was, not being able to make the swing,” he said. In other words, he had noticed something odd before the practice swing and the subsequent movement simply confirmed it.
“It’s frustrating, because I don’t know what caused it. Maybe something wasn’t properly activated or whatever, but I did all the warm-up, I felt fine. It’s horrible, honestly. I feel awful,” he added. Now it’s a matter of waiting to see how it develops. The Masters is not far away and what Morikawa said does not exactly inspire calm. “Now if I had to lift things and move around it would hurt. I don’t know, I’m not doing back squats or front squats or anything like that. More or less I know what the protocols are, what to do and how to manage it. But this is going to need some time,” he finished rather dejectedly.
