Between 2020 and 2023, Collin Morikawa owned the best iron game in professional golf. His surgical precision with approach shots made him virtually unstoppable. He captured six PGA Tour titles before turning 26, including two major championships. At 23, he won the 2020 PGA Championship with a career-defining driver on the 16th hole at TPC Harding Park. A year later, he claimed the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, becoming the first player to win that major on debut since Ben Curtis in 2003. His 2021 Strokes Gained: Approach number of +1.170 led the entire tour.

Fast forward to October 12, 2025. Collin Morikawa stood at Yokohama Country Club after firing an 8-under 63 in the final round of the Baycurrent Classic. Despite the brilliant score, he couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Mixed emotions,” he told reporters. “Obviously I’m very happy with 8 under. I think the way my game’s been kind of trending, I probably would have signed for a 4 under.”

Then came the admission that defined his entire 2025 season. “This is my last tournament for the season and got a lot of work to do,” Morikawa continued. “It’s not really the way I wanted the year to end.”

The two-time major champion tried everything in 2025. Nothing worked. He cycled through five different caddies in an unprecedented carousel that started with his April split from J.J. Jakovac, who had been on the bag for all six of Morikawa’s PGA Tour victories. Joe Greiner, Max Homa’s former caddie, lasted just five tournaments with a best finish of T17. Billy Foster, who helped Matt Fitzpatrick win the 2022 U.S. Open, witnessed Morikawa miss consecutive cuts at the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship. College teammate KK Limbhasut filled in temporarily at the Rocket Classic. Finally, Mark Urbanek came aboard for the FedEx Cup playoffs and remained through season’s end, documenting Morikawa’s search for the right partnership.

The putter changes proved equally fruitless. Morikawa switched from his trusty TaylorMade TP Soto to a custom Logan Olson blade at the Travelers Championship. After admitting he “putted like a blind man” at the Rocket Classic, he grabbed a TaylorMade Spider mallet mid-tournament. By September’s Procore Championship, he was testing a center-shafted Spider Tour V prototype.

The result? Zero wins. His longest winless streak since turning professional. Two runner-up finishes at The Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Arnold Palmer Invitational only highlighted what could have been.

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Collin Morikawa’s putting crisis vs elite ball-striking

The statistics tell a brutal story. Morikawa ranked first on tour in Strokes Gained: Approach at +1.190. His ball-striking remained elite, placing him second overall in Strokes Gained: Total at +2.180. He led the tour in par breakers at 28.01%.

But the putter betrayed him. He ranked 135th in Strokes Gained: Putting at -0.313.

“One’s the putting, to really just kind of stick with one putter and just feel confident,” Morikawa explained when asked about his offseason priorities. “Today I felt great. I felt like if I put myself on the greens I felt like I could make any putt. I need to get that feeling a little more often during the season.”

The contrast couldn’t be starker. His approach game remained world-class. His putting cost him victories. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he held a three-shot lead with five holes remaining before Russell Henley’s eagle charge overtook him.

Morikawa also revealed physical struggles affecting his signature shot shape. “Getting the body right to where I know I can hit my cuts,” he said. “I know I played well today, but I think we’re good enough to where we can in a way fake it around golf courses. But I don’t want to do that, I want to have full control.”

His motivation? Watching peers dominate while he struggled. “When I watch some of these top guys and how they’re playing right now, it’s motivating for me to put in the work,” Morikawa said. “It’s going to be a fun couple months heading into next year.”