Colin Moricawa is not just searching for a new caddy.
He is also trying to find his stroke.
Moricawa shot on 3-under 69 Thursday to open a rocket classic. He was away from six shots from Min Wu Lee’s initial lead, missed only three greens and was completely hitting on those occasions. But he made more than 42 feet puts losing more than four and a half strokes in the field on the greens (this state would obviously change during the afternoon, although once all 156 contestants had logged at least one hole, it had taken Morikawa to the back of the field).
Moricawa said, “I hit it very well to play well, like a blind man, honestly,” said Moricawa. “It just feels uncomfortable that everything is and is not able to square the face. It is difficult. … You are growing a lot of POAs, you just have to be full of confidence with your stroke, and there was no confidence today after seeing a couple.”
Moricawa placed an Olson Tour Matrix 1.0 round in the bag before last week’s Travelers Championship, instead of Taylormade TP Soto, he was first used. He finished 45th out of 72 players in the stroke, and despite leading the region away from T, he finished 42nd in the tournament. He entered this week, number 109 was obtained for the year in strokes.
In the first round of Thursday at the Detroit Golf Club, Moricawa converted just one put from outside 5 feet-a Bedi put from 6 feet, 3 inches at 3 inches. He also missed eight puts within 12 feet, including 3-footers in Par-4 seconds.
Moricawa mostly blamed her stroke and not her reading.
“Just today, you know, nothing is starting online, and it is difficult when your speed is a bit away, not starting online,” Moricawa explained. “You are simply wishing, and are not ideal for such a course where you have taken it less. … I think I’m reading them right, it’s just whether I can actually start it and do it with decent speed.”
Asked if he planned to make something else on Friday, Moricawa replied, “Yes, there is a lot of possibility for tomorrow.”
All this was not disappointing, though. Morikawa, whose former Cal team partner KK Limbasut is on the bag this week, after the partition with Green, received nearly three shots on the approach, extended Par-5 17th by Albatros to PAR-5 17th, where he took out his second shot to 3 inches at a distance of 276 yards.
Moricawa said, “I have never made 2 at 5.” “Sucks, but I will take there any day 3.”
