There’s a moment every golfer dreads: you chunk a wedge, blow a short putt, or limp home after a round that felt like a grind from the first tee. And all you want to do is throw your clubs in the trunk and forget the whole thing happened.
But what if forgetting—truly forgetting—was the key?
Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner and one of the sharpest ball-strikers in the game, might just be golf’s best modern-day example of how to move on fast. Not with toxic positivity. Not with denial. But with something far more effective: presence, perspective, and a process.
Let’s unpack how he does it—so maybe we can stop letting one bad shot (or 12) ruin our own rounds.
“I Already Forgot About It.”
That’s how Morikawa summed up his putting woes after a rough day at the RBC Heritage.
Most golfers replay their mistakes like a horror film on loop. Morikawa’s mental rewind button? It’s been disabled. His brain is already on the next shot before the last one’s finished rolling. That short-term memory isn’t accidental—it’s a trained skill.
By refusing to let one mistake bleed into the next, he breaks the chain reaction that can wreck an entire back nine. It’s like he’s trained his brain to swipe left on bad shots.
Focus on What To Do (Not What To Avoid)
This might be the most important part of what’s now being casually dubbed the “Morikawa Method.”
When things go sideways, most of us fall into a spiral of what-not-to-do thinking. “Don’t chunk it.” “Don’t three-putt.” “Don’t yank this OB.” That kind of mindset is a shortcut to overthinking—and often, more mistakes.
Morikawa flips that script. His focus is on what he should do. Where he wants to land the ball. What kind of tempo he wants in his swing. He’s always moving forward, never stuck in damage control.
That slight shift—avoidance to intention—changes everything.
Own It, Then Move On
After being hit with a two-stroke penalty, Morikawa’s reaction wasn’t rage or blame-shifting. It was pure accountability: “We made the mistake and it’s on us.”
There’s no self-pity in his post-round interviews. No excuse-making. He takes ownership, processes it, and gets on with the job.
But here’s the kicker: he doesn’t dwell.
That blend—accountability without self-destruction—is what lets him learn from the moment without becoming emotionally handcuffed to it. For regular golfers? That’s the difference between turning a double into a snowman—or into a bounce-back birdie.
Mid-Round Mental Resets
Ever feel like you’re spiraling mid-round and just need someone to snap you out of it?
Morikawa’s secret weapon is often his caddie, J.J. Jakovac. After what he called “the worst putt in the tournament” at The Masters, Morikawa said, “Just had to get out of my own head… talked to J.J. a little bit and was able to kind of free up.”
No sports psychologist required—just a trusted voice and a moment to breathe.
If the pros use on-course conversations to clear the fog, maybe we should too. Your buddy might not fix your swing, but a quick chat can stop your brain from turning into a blender.
After the Round? Let It Burn. Then Let It Go.
Morikawa’s also not afraid to admit when he’s furious.
“I didn’t want to be around anyone… I didn’t need any sorries. I didn’t need any ‘good playings,’” he said after a gutting loss at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Sound familiar?
The lesson isn’t that you shouldn’t feel things—it’s that you don’t need to bury them or broadcast them. Feel the sting, let it pass, then move forward with purpose. Morikawa’s never pretending he doesn’t care. He just doesn’t let those emotions sabotage what’s next.
Laugh It Off (Yes, Really)
After a disappointing Masters showing, Morikawa posted:
“1. Don’t hit it in the water on 11, duh.
2. Get better at tee flips so I’m always going second.”
Dry. Sarcastic. But most importantly? It’s a pressure release.
If you can find a little humor in the horror show, you’ll start to take the edge off the memory. Even at the highest level, a well-timed joke can shift the energy. So the next time you blade one into the trees, try a little smirk instead of a meltdown. It works.
Don’t Overcorrect—Course Correct
After a three-putt at the RBC Heritage, Morikawa didn’t try to “make up for it” with wild hero shots. He just said, “I knew there was still a lot of birdie opportunities and I just had to keep hitting good shots.”
It’s boring. It’s patient. And it’s how he avoids one error turning into a triple.
He doesn’t get seduced by revenge golf. He sticks to the plan. And when the plan needs tweaking? He adjusts with intention—not desperation.
When the Routine Fails, Tweak the Routine
Morikawa recently made changes to his pre-shot routine to help him “just let it go.”
Not some magical swing thought. Not a whole new technique. Just a permission slip to trust his motion again.
That little reminder—that he can rotate, stay in position, and fire without fear—is what allows him to play with freedom, even after a disaster.
Golfers often wait too long to adjust. Morikawa tweaks as soon as patterns emerge. That’s the difference between a slump and a bad day.
Final Thoughts (But Not a Formal Conclusion)
Morikawa doesn’t just recover from bad shots—he recovers from bad moments. And he does it better than almost anyone else on Tour.
He doesn’t deny frustration. He doesn’t erase the disappointment. But he doesn’t drag it around, either.
He reflects, adjusts, and resets—sometimes within the same round.
If that’s not something to model, I don’t know what is.