Open winner Morikawa intends to compete in Scottish Open

Collin Morikawa has confirmed his attendance in the Scottish Open, stating that he “owes a lot to the tournament” for his Open victory.

Last year, on his Open debut at Royal St George’s, the 25-year-old won the Claret Jug.

Previous week, the American tied for 71st at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

“The aim is to definitely come back and play the Scottish Open,” world number three Morikawa stated.

“I owe a lot to that tournament for getting me ready and realizing I needed to tweak certain irons.”

“Those two weeks last year, my game was in some of the best shapes I could have had, and then at the Scottish Open, I started hitting iron shots, nine irons to 45 feet, missing greens, and it was just terrible.”

“I wanted to blame it on my clubs, which is rarely the case, but I truly did and stayed with it; I made some modifications at Royal St George’s on Monday and won.”

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) has stated that this year’s 150th Open Championship at St Andrew’s will draw a record audience, with 290,000 tickets sold.

Morikawa, who has never played at the famous Fife course, is looking forward to playing in front of large crowds in Scotland after his success on the Kent coast.

“Everything is made by the fans,” he explained. “A few years ago, Covid came by, and it was getting a little boring.”

“We enjoy golf, but the excitement of the spectators brings out the best in us.”

“There is, of course, the history and everything it represents when it comes to St Andrew’s. People ask me if I’m going to come over early or make several trips.”

“I’ve never done anything like that for a major.”

“Monday through Wednesday, I have to go out there and do my regular work. I can’t play it as other people have in the past. We have no idea what the weather will be like.”

“We don’t know what small adjustments are in store for us.”

“In the end, I just need to be ready and know how I’m going to prepare for links golf. I believe that because of my previous experience, I will be able to acclimate a little faster than I did last year.”

“Last year, I took a lot of chances, altering certain irons and adjusting the putter set up a little bit.”

“But I believe I’ll be better prepared this year to simply go out there and ready to figure out how to dissect this golf course to the best of my abilities,” he explained.