Collin Morikawa sends warnings signs to Scottie Scheffler: “I’m gonna put everything I have”
Collin Morikawa enters the fourth and final round of the 2024 Tour Championship in second place, five shots behind leader Scottie Scheffler. Morikawa has had an exceptional performance in the event and is the gross leader after 54 holes.
After his third round, Collin Morikawa said it was a tough task to beat Scheffler by five shots with 18 holes to play. However, he assured that he is confident and will give it his all in the fourth round.
"It's going to be very hard, but I believe in myself that I can do it," Collin Morikawa said (via Golf.com) "Five shots is a lot, but two-shot swings happen. I think I've seen a couple over the past few days."
"Look, I've just got to play my game. I've got to go low. I know that. Hopefully I've got that in me today. I've got 18 holes left to the season. I keep talking about that, but I'm going to put everything I have into these next 24 hours," he added. [0:05 - 0:28]
Collin Morikawa started the Tour Championship in seventh place in the FedEx Cup standings. Based on his performance in the first three rounds of the event, he is tied for second place, which would earn him $12.5 million.
Collin Morikawa's Tour Championship performance at a glance
Collin Morikawa's position in the FedEx Cup standings at the start of the season's final event gave him a 4-shot lead over the field. The two-time Major champion was able to overtake the rest of his top-ranked competitors except for Scottie Scheffler.
Morikawa began at East Lake Golf Club with a first round of seven birdies and two bogeys (5 under). His back nine was spectacular, with six consecutive birdies and no bogeys.
The second round saw Morikawa enter title contention with a bang. On Friday, Morikawa had nine birdies and one bogey (8 under), tying for second place with Xander Schauffele.
One day later, Morikawa had his worst round of the event with five birdies and one bogey (4-under). However, Schauffele also struggled, leaving Morikawa alone in second place.
Morikawa's performance was so outstanding that he is the gross leader of the Tour Championship, although this aspect is not relevant to the championship standings. Morikawa played the first 54 holes in 196, while Scheffler shot 197. Both players are the only ones under 200.
Morikawa has played in 20 PGA Tour events in the 2024 season, making 18 cuts. He has seven top-10 finishes, including second place at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club, where he just happened to lose to Scottie Scheffler.