Collin Morikawa is contending again at a major championship, rebounding from a 3-over 73 with a second-round 65 at the US Open.
What happened?
Morikawa's turnaround came from improved chipping, with seven birdies on a difficult Shinnecock Hills course.
He made the turn in 3-under 32 and added three more birdies on the back nine, now five shots behind Wyndham Clark.
Why it matters for Collin Morikawa
This is Morikawa's fifth career round of 65 or better in a major, behind only Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau since 2020.
A win would match Jack Fleck's 1955 record for largest opening-round deficit overcome by a US Open champion.
Morikawa got his 2026 PGA TOUR season off to a strong start with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.
What comes next?
But things went awry at THE PLAYERS Championship, where he withdrew after one hole due to a back injury.
Morikawa skipped the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday to welcome his first child, and returned to action at the RBC Canadian Open, finishing T29.
He remains without a full arsenal of shots due to the back injury, which first cropped up in mid-March.
Morikawa explained that he can't hit every shot he wants, but the soft greens at Shinnecock Hills help.
He proved to himself that he has enough tools to play well, despite the injury still being uncomfortable.
Morikawa's go-to shot with right-to-left wind, cutting an iron, is not available to him right now.
But he's able to hit enough shots, and his second-round 65 shows he can contend.
The key to his turnaround was chipping better, with at least four basic up-and-downs flubbed in the first round.
Morikawa was alone in fourth place after signing his scorecard, and a win would be historic.
He has contended in tournaments since the injury, including a T7 finish at the Masters and a T4 result at the RBC Heritage.
Morikawa's back injury has been a challenge, but he's finding ways to adapt and compete.