It has been a dominating effort from Collin Morikawa through the first 54 holes of the 2023 Tournament of Champions. Still bogey-free around the Plantation Course at Kapalua on the week, the 25-year-old stands at 24 under and has parlayed his two-stroke lead from Friday night into a six-stroke lead heading into the final day of competition.
Momentarily caught in the early stages of his third round, Morikawa responded in a manner that we have not seen in quite some time. With his playing competitor Scottie Scheffler converting an unlikely eagle opportunity on the par-5 5th, the two were tied at 16 under. Morikawa then went onto connect from 11 feet for an eagle of his own to remain out in front by two strokes and wouldn't look back from there.
Playing the final 13 holes in four fewer strokes than Scheffler, Morikawa added distance between himself and a pack that also includes Matt Fitzpatrick and J.J. Spaun at 18 under. With 10 of the last 15 winners at Kapalua possessing the pole position heading into the final round, Morikawa is in a very comfortable position with just 18 holes to go.
The leader
1. Collin Morikawa (-24)
Oddly enough, it has been more than 12 months since Morikawa has possessed a 54-hole lead in a golf tournament. Squandering an opportunity this past summer at the U.S. Open at the halfway point, we must go back to the 2021 Hero World Classic for the most recent instance of Morikawa entering the final round with a lead
Had Morikawa won that day in The Bahamas, he would have ascended to world No. 1, but instead he was left wondering what could hav been after a dreadful performance saw him relinquish a five-stroke edge. This time around should be smooth sailing given the forgiving nature of Kapalua and the new-found comfort level on the greens.
Other contenders
T2. Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Matt Fitzpatrick (-18)
T5. Jon Rahm, Tom Kim (-17)
T7. Max Homa, Sungjae Im (-16)
T9. Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, K.H. Lee, Brian Harman (-15)
While he may not chase down Morikawa when all is said and done, Scheffler remains in a nice position to reclaim the world No. 1 title. In need of a two-way tie for third place of better, the Texan has some wiggle room to work with heading into the final round, but will need to see improvements with the putter. Scheffler ranks 26th this week in strokes-gained putting and has been buoyed by his stellar tee-to-green play where he leads the field.
Max Homa cards the round of the week
The five-time PGA Tour winner was the first player to reach double-digit under par in a single round this week at Kapalua. Signing for a 10-under 63, Homa not only has the lowest round of the tournament but has played himself onto the first page of the leaderboard.
"I don't know [what went so well today]. I didn't make any mistakes throughout the day, as far as, like, kind of the dumb mistakes," said Homa. "Bogeys here and there are going to happen ... So today I just didn't do that. I did a great job. Even on 9, I kind of drop kicked my pitch and got it up-and-down for par.
"That was a big moment for me," he continued. "So, the ball went in the hole today. I hadn't really made anything until maybe the back nine yesterday. I don't know how to really explain it. It didn't feel like I played four shots better than my last two days combined, but I did. So, it's just not a very good game for your mind. But it was nice to shoot 10 under."
Cameron Young learns a hard lesson
It's not often that a professional golfer looks like an amateur, but the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year did on the par-5 15th on Saturday. On the green in two, Young's eagle attempt missed the hole ... and then went onto miss the green entirely. Adding insult to injury, he was unable to put his next shot on the green and ultimately carded a bogey. A tough pill to swallow for the tournament debutant.
2023 Tournament of Champions updated odds and picks
- Collin Morikawa: 1/5
- Scottie Scheffler: 12-1
- Matt Fitzpatrick: 20-1
- Jon Rahm: 25-1
- J.J. Spaun: 45-1
- Tom Kim: 50-1
If you want to lay the juice with Morikawa, be my guest as the price still feels a smidge light. Outside of that, the best course of action may be no action at all. In all likelihood, Morikawa converts his 54-hole lead into a victory, rendering any other wager illogical.