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PGA Tour winner Collin Morikawa played just one hole at The Players Championship after withdrawing due to injury on Thursday.
Morikawa, 29, made par on the 10th hole, the lone hole he would play, before stunningly injuring his back on a practice swing.
“I felt fine in warm-up,” Morikawa said, according to the New York Post. “Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems. Honestly, (on the) first hole (I) felt great, hit two great shots, hit a great putt. Teed it up, nothing felt bad. (I) teed it up on 11 and took one practice swing and I just knew it was gone. It all hit me at one second, where I was like, ‘Something doesn’t feel right.’”
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Collin Morikawa looks on at the 10th hole tee box during the first round of the 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on March 12, 2026. (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
“I took a practice swing, there it was, like not being able to swing. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
The fourth-ranked golfer in the world was taken away in a cart. Ludvig Åberg and Si Woo Kim, Morikawa’s partners, played the rest of the round as a twosome.
The Los Angeles native said he is not sure what caused the injury.
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Collin Morikawa hits a tee shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on March 12, 2026. (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
“Before I even took my practice swing, it’s like you had a weird déjà vu thing,” he said. “I took the practice swing and immediately knew I just couldn’t get through impact. At that point, (I) called over my trainer and talked about it with my caddie Mark (Urbanek). It just sucks.
“It’s just frustrating, because I don’t know what caused it. I went through all the warmups (and) felt fine. It’s awful. I feel terrible.’’
Morikawa said he has “had this stuff before” and is focusing on being ready for the Masters.
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Collin Morikawa prepares for a shot with his caddie, Mark Urbanek, on the tenth hole during the first round of the 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on March 12, 2026. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Morikawa had a strong start to the 2026 season, making four of five cuts and winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month.
He finished fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, marking his third top-10 finish of the season.
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