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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 the warm-up,” Morikawa said, according to the New York Post. “Like nothing has been a sign of back problems. Honestly, (on) the first hole, I felt (on) the first hole, hit two great shots, hit a good putt. Hit it up, nothing felt bad. (I) teed it up on 11 and took a practice swing and I just knew it was gone. It all hit me in a second where I was like, ‘something’ feels right.
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Collin Morikawa looks on the 10th hole tee box during the first round of the 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship on 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, it was like not being able to swing. Believe 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 carriage. Ludvig Åberg and Si Woo Kim, Morikawa’s partners, played the rest of the round as a duo.
The Los Angeles native said he’s 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 on 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 training swing, it’s like you had a weird déjà vu thing,” he said. “I took the practice swing and knew right away I just couldn’t get through the impact. At that point (I) called over my coach and talked about it with my caddy Mark (Urbanek). It’s just unfortunate.
“It’s just frustrating because I don’t know what caused it. I went through all the warmups (and) felt fine. It’s terrible. I feel terrible.”
Morikawa said he’s “been here before” and is focusing on being ready for the Masters.
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Collin Morikawa prepares for a shot with his caddy, Mark Urbanek, on the tenth hole during the first round of the 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship on 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 with four out of five cuts and won 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.
