Collin Morikawa has thrown his US Masters participation into doubt, admitting he's still taking things "day by day" after his recent back injury.
Morikawa was forced to pull out of the Players Championship on the second hole of the event after injuring his back during a practice swing.
The two-time major winner was due to tee it up at last week's Valero Texas Open but pulled out prior to the event, and while he's still planning on playing the US Masters, his fitness level remains uncertain.
"The honest truth is I’m taking it day by day," said Morikawa. "It’s not exactly where I want to be, and it’s unfortunate, but that’s just the body, and I can’t push it.
"It’s been a little bit of a mental battle, I think, just trying to trust with where it’s at. The back actually feels fine. It’s just other parts of the body not cooperating a little bit how I want."
The good news for Morikawa is that he's been able to practice and has been seen going through a full warm-up at Augusta, as well as practising his short game on the second nine.
"I’ve been hitting balls for the past week," he added. "I ended up pulling out of the Valero last week and was able to hit balls and continue to play.
"But there’s a comfort level, and this isn’t a place where you want to be uncomfortable, but sometimes you’ve got to find other ways to get around a golf course.
"So I’m kind of, you know, making a different game plan than I think I’ve come up with in the past."
A fully-fit Morikawa would have been one of the players to fear at Augusta. The 29-year-old broke his long winless streak at Pebble Beach and followed that up with two more impressive performances at the Genesis Invitational (T7) and the Arnold Palmer Invitational (5th) and looked set for a tilt at the Players Championship last month before his withdrawal.
Morikawa has an excellent record at Augusta with five straight top-20 finishes, three of which were top-10s.
