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This week's Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Course in
Jersey City, where play begins on Thursday, is the first of
three events over the next three weeks to determine which golfer
wins the $15 million prize as FedExCup champion.
Morikawa was brimming with confidence when he entered last
year's playoff opener shortly after winning the PGA Championship
for his first major title but learned a valuable lesson to pace
himself and peak at the right moment.
"The way I looked into the playoffs last year, I was so focused
-- especially after that PGA win -- let's go win, win, win, and
I think I was almost burnt out by the time I got to that third
week," said Morikawa.
"Not everyone has the luxury of knowing where they're going to
stand coming to the Tour Championship, but I at least know I'm
going to be there, I'm going to have a chance with four rounds
no matter where I stand."
The top 125 players in the season-long FedExCup points list
secured a spot in the playoffs and Morikawa, who had eight
top-10 finishes this season, topped the standings.
The top 70 players after the Northern Trust advance to next
week's BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings
Mills, Maryland, with the top 30 from there heading to Atlanta
for the Sept. 2-5 Tour Championship.
Since turning pro in 2019, Morikawa has won five times on the
PGA Tour, including at this year's British Open.
The 24-year-old also competed in a seven-man playoff for the
bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and has already qualified for
the U.S. Ryder Cup team that will compete at Whistling Straits
in Wisconsin in September.
However he fares this week, Morikawa said he is not going to
allow himself to lose sight of the ultimate goal of peaking at
East Lake.
"It's just thinking about how do I rest up? How do I feel great
about myself body-wise by the time I do get there?," said
Morikawa.
"I'm going to kind of look at this a little differently
throughout these next couple weeks leading up to the Tour
Championship and just see if I can plot my way to really peak in
that third week rather than burn myself out in the first few,"
said Morikawa.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
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