Former PGA Tour winner turned golf commentator and analyst Johnson Wagner has tipped Collin Morikawa to return to form sooner rather than later.
The 28-year-old two-time major champion has been in poor form on the PGA Tour since almost ending his winless drought at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
Morikawa has not won on the established tour since lifting his sixth PGA Tour title at the ZOZO Championship in 2023.
Wagner predicted on the most recent edition of the 5 Clubs podcast that Morikawa is simply too good not to turn things around and believes his best years are still ahead of him.
“I think he’s gone through a lot this year,” Wagner said, referencing the fact he has used as many as five different caddies this season. “And once he figures it out, he’s going to be back.
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“He’s just too good of a ball striker, he’s gotten better around the greens, his putting has gotten better. I think he’ll be back, I think the best is still possibly ahead of him.
“I think he’s going to get another [major] pretty soon. Getting back across that finish line one more time is going to get him the confidence he needs.”
Morikawa almost ended his winless drought in March at famed Bay Hill.
He began the final round with a three-shot lead and still held a comfortable cushion with five holes to play, only to be reeled in by compatriot Russell Henley.
Henley chipped in for eagle at the 16th hole and held on.
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It left Morikawa visibly upset and frustrated, snubbing post-round media interviews that drew the ire of the likes of Rocco Mediate.
One month later Morikawa made the surprising decision to part ways with his long-time looper JJ Jakovac.
He turned to Max Homa’s former looper Joe Greiner but that partnership did not last too long.
Morikawa asked his former college roommate to carry his clubs at the Rocket Classic and the legendary Billy Foster filled in at the Scottish Open.
These days, Mark Urbanek – who previously caddied for Tony Finau – carries Morikawa’s clubs.
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Morikawa relied on a captain’s pick from Keegan Bradley to represent the United States in the Ryder Cup in September and registered only half a point for the stars and stripes in their 15-13 home defeat.
Wagner was also extremely complimentary of the European team that secured victory at Bethpage Black.
Asked to predict which team member will go on to have the best 2026 campaign, the American said Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre was primed for a major-winning season.
“I love this guy,” he said. “He has won twice on the PGA Tour.
“He won his native open, the Scottish Open. The way he played, he nearly won the US Open at Oakmont this year.
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“I just think, with the way he plays, the fire that he plays with, and the desire that he has, I see him contending at majors and winning multiple times.”
MacIntyre recently admitted he thought he had lost the Ryder Cup for Europe.
The Scot was sent out last in the Sunday singles and on a tense final day it looked increasingly likely the contest was going to be settled in his match with Sam Burns.
MacIntyre secured a crucial half.
“It was horrible,” he told BBC Radio Scotland. “There’s no vice-captains, there’s nobody walking with you apart from your family, friends, your partners.
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“You feel as though it’s you and your caddie against America. When I teed off, I thought ‘this is going to be over by the time I get to the eighth’, there was so much blue on the board.
“I got to eight or nine, and the main difference is just it’s very even, but there’s more red now. The matches going down the 18th kept flipping to red and I thought ‘this is tight now’. It felt like ‘this could come down to your match’.
“I missed the putt on the 15th and I honestly thought ‘I’m going to lose the Ryder Cup for us’.
“I did the exact same thing in Rome, missed a putt on 14 and thought the exact same thing – I’ve lost the Ryder Cup.”
MacIntyre told the radio station he refused to give up.
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He now believes winning a major championship is the only thing left on his bucket list.
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