There was a time when Collin Morikawa was known for his surgical precision on the golf course. His hits were accurate, finding the fairways most of the time. However, it’s not hard to see that his performances have taken a hit over the past couple of years. It was even clearer at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open. And as the TPC Scottsdale event concluded, the 29-year-old has finally revealed the frustrating reason behind it all.

“The body’s been in a weird spot the past few years, and it’s no excuse; it’s all on me. I mean, we have to take care of ourselves. But if I could just move slightly better, get in the positions I want to be in, the feel is still there, and that’s the hardest thing is the feel’s there, but sometimes if the body doesn’t do what you want because one it can’t, or two, it’s in a different pattern, it makes golf so frustrating,” Morikawa revealed in an exclusive WMPO interview uploaded by Dan on Golf on YouTube.

The challenges that the 6x PGA Tour winner is talking about were on display at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open, which ran from February 5 to February 8, 2026. In Round 2, he was attempting a wedge 74 feet on the par-3 12th hole. While the Ryder Cup player was attempting to land the ball as close to the hole as possible, he eventually managed to drag the ball only 5 feet from him.

Tom & Marty’s shared the blunder’s video in an X post. And netizens weren’t forgiving at all. The post attracted comments mocking Collin Morikawa. “Guy can’t play in front of crowd,” “He looks miserable on the course,” and “I know the yips when I see it,” were some of the comments from the fans.

Some comments even noted that the yips are worse during activities because the body does the exact opposite of what someone wants. Many golfers can vouch for that. In fact, Tiger Woods’ niece, Cheyenne Woods, has herself admitted that she had to retire because of yips.

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Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch, and many others have experienced prolonged yips. Sam Snead, who ties with Tiger Woods as the record 82x PGA Tour win holder, has also faced it.

What happened at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open wasn’t a standalone incident showing the troubles Collin Morikawa is facing. His last win came in October 2023, so he has been winless for over 2 years. However, his 2025 season was still decent. Although he didn’t win any event, the American professional had several strong finishes. This includes runner‑up finishes at The Sentry and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a T10 at The Players Championship, and top‑20s at the Masters and the Memorial Tournament.

While the fans were quick to speculate about the yips, the 6-time PGA Tour winner never admitted to them.

“I’ve hurt my back a few times, and then that goes into the flexibility, that goes in the movement patterns of, for me, my swing is based on obviously how my wrists work, but also being able to clear out really well. And if I can’t clear out, I mean, I’m in block fades or pull draws, and it’s, you know, I see a golf course one way and the way I want to play it yet, when those shots aren’t going where you want, it’s frustrating. But we’re on the up,” Collin Morikawa said when asked about his body.

The first major flare-up of his back problem came to the surface in 2021 at the Northern Trust event. Morikawa played through the event, but later revealed the ailing back pain. He said his “timing is all off, the body is all off,” and that he was hitting slap‑cuts.

At the 2023 Memorial Tournament, the second episode of back issues occurred, and this time it was a major one. When he was trying to pick up something at the practice session ahead of the last day of the event, his spine gave up. He called it a random spasm, but a severe one.

The 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii exposed a familiar tension between his elite ball‑striking and the elusive consistency he craves.

Collin Morikawa faced the same fate at the 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii

At Waialae Country Club, Collin Morikawa’s strengths were on full display. He was hitting over 314 yards off the tee and finding more than 72% of greens in regulation. Yet, even with such precision, he missed the cut at even par. What made things worse was that it was his first early exit at the Sony Open.

He later shared an Instagram post revealing his frustration. The 2x major winner pointed at something similar about his body not listening to what he has in mind.

“Frustrating way to start the season… Need to figure out how to get back to playing boring golf,” he wrote in the post.

The volatility of his rounds was easy to notice. Eight birdies and six bogeys over two days illustrated the highs and lows, capped by a missed 6‑8 foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that left him one stroke shy of making the weekend. Collin Morikawa himself acknowledged that some offseason improvements had stuck while others had not, signaling that even when the fundamentals are intact, small margins can derail a week.

Morikawa’s recent struggles highlight the fine line between brilliance and frustration at the highest level of golf. Even with world-class skills and belief, his body’s limitations continue to challenge his ability to perform consistently.