Tranlate this title Collin Morikawa explains difficult challenge players face at Presidents Cup in spanish

Collin Morikawa has already played in some big team events during his career, but the American golfer admits that Medinah has presented him with something he has never really seen before.

The 29-year-old is making his third Presidents Cup appearance after helping the United States win at Quail Hollow in 2022 and Royal Montreal two years later. This time, Morikawa is playing in front of the home fans at Medinah Country Club, where the Americans are again expected to fight for another trophy.

Brandt Snedeker has many familiar names available in his team, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. Morikawa also qualified automatically after another season in which he remained among the leading American golfers.

However, before the matches started, the two-time Grand Slam winner pointed out something unusual about the golf course.

The first few holes have a fence line very close to the rough on the left side, creating a problem that Morikawa believes players will have to think about quite carefully.

Morikawa has not seen this type of setup before

Morikawa was asked about the difficult opening holes and how players will react when they are already feeling pressure from playing in a team competition.

The American remembered his first big team event at Whistling Straits, where he felt he could simply hit the driver without worrying too much about losing the ball.

Medinah is different.

“Yeah, I was talking about it. I was thinking back to my first event which was Whistling Straits. You know, I just teed it high and let it fly, and I don’t think we could have lost the ball. This is a little different. Thankfully I played a few. But, yeah, wind is going to be off the left. It’s a little more helpful.

“But I’ve never seen a course like this where there is a fence line that’s right along the edge of the rough. That’s going to play into a factor of how you’re hitting the shots, what format you’re going to be playing. It all plays into it.”

Morikawa believes the third hole gives golfers more chances, but the opening two holes could create immediate problems.

Justin Thomas already experienced that during practice. According to Morikawa, Thomas hit a shot into an area where the fence made his next swing almost impossible.

“JT hit a shot today that was, you know, an average shot. I think that just bounced in the rough, and now he didn’t have a swing to get around the fence. You’re going to see a lot of balls to the right.”

The American also compared the situation to dealing with water or out-of-bounds.

“It’s a shot that you never really come across but you almost have to treat it as if it is OB but also as if there is water. It’s a two-shot penalty right there. You’re out of the hole.”

For Morikawa, avoiding early mistakes could therefore become quite important, especially in formats where one bad shot can immediately create problems for a pairing.

Rain has also changed conditions around the greens

The fence is not the only thing Morikawa has noticed at Medinah.

Rain before the Presidents Cup has made several areas around the greens very soft. The American was spotted practicing low running shots with a fairway wood, something that he has used before when conditions make normal chip shots more difficult.

Morikawa said some areas now feel like very wet sod, meaning the club can easily slide underneath the ball without producing much bounce.

“Yeah, it’s huge,” he said. “It gets a little grainy out here and it’s just really soft. Some of the areas where the grass or dirt underneath hasn’t really fully grown in, it plays like super wet sod. There is no bounce.”

Morikawa does not believe every difficult situation requires an aggressive wedge shot.

He often prefers his 5-wood around the greens when he wants to keep the ball low and reduce the possibility of a bad strike.

“It’s not pretty but it’s a play that I’ve always been comfortable with. I use 5-wood. I just kind of get it through and I just… it’s something that I do at most events that I’m able to kind of run it up fringe.”

The experienced American is also ready to play with different partners during the week.

Morikawa admitted that he would sometimes like to have one regular teammate, but his type of game allows captains to use him with different players depending on the situation.

After victories in his first two Presidents Cup appearances, Morikawa now hopes to continue that run at Medinah.

The United States has dominated this competition for a long time, winning 13 of the first 15 editions, while the International Team’s only victory came in 1998. This week gives Geoff Ogilvy and his players another opportunity to change that record.