Collin Morikawa’s week at the 2026 Players Championship ended much earlier than anyone expected. The American golfer withdrew from the tournament on Thursday morning after suffering a sudden back injury during the opening round at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Collin Morikawa had just started his round and teed off from the 10th hole at 8:40 a. m. Eastern Time. Everything looked normal at first. But when he reached the 11th hole, things quickly changed. Morikawa felt sharp pain in his back during a practice swing and realized he could not continue playing.
The 2026 Players Championship is one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour, and Morikawa entered the week as one of the strongest contenders.
The 27-year-old golfer was the FedEx Cup points leader coming into the tournament and had been playing some of the best golf of the season. However, after speaking with a trainer and his team, Morikawa decided it was safer to withdraw rather than risk making the injury worse. His tournament ended before he could complete even a few holes.
Collin Morikawa forced to withdraw after back pain appears suddenly during opening round at The Players Championship
The injury appeared without warning. Collin Morikawa later explained that he felt completely fine during his warm-up before the round began.
But the pain hit suddenly when he reached the 11th hole.
“I felt fine in warm-up. Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems. And teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone,” Morikawa said. “I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
After his tee shot on the 11th hole, Morikawa was seen stretching and holding his back. The shot itself went badly, and he immediately looked uncomfortable. Soon after, he called for a trainer to check the problem.
Following a short conversation with the trainer and his caddie Mark, Morikawa made the difficult choice to withdraw from the tournament. He shared hugs with his playing partners, Ludvig Aberg and Si Woo Kim, along with their caddies, before leaving the course. Tournament officials then took him back to the clubhouse by cart.
Collin Morikawa said the moment reminded him of previous back issues he had dealt with earlier in his career.
“I’ve had this stuff before, and been healthy all throughout the year, been moving weight and pushing, going fast. I don’t know, like, before I even took my practice swing, it’s like you had, like a weird, like deja vu thing. I took the practice swing and immediately knew, I just couldn’t get through impact,” Morikawa said. “So at that point called over my trainer, and talked about it with my caddie Mark, and it just sucks. I don’t know how to put it in words.”
The timing of the injury is especially disappointing for Morikawa because he had been playing extremely well this season. He arrived at TPC Sawgrass as the FedEx Cup leader after finishing fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Just last month, he also won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.
Collin Morikawa was ranked world No. 4 entering the week and was making his sixth appearance at The Players Championship. His best result in the event came in 2025, when he finished tied for 10th.
He had also been on an impressive run, recording 13 straight rounds under par on the PGA Tour before the tournament began. That streak was the longest active run on the tour.
Despite the strong form, Morikawa said the sudden injury left him frustrated and confused.
“It’s just frustrating, because I don’t know what caused it,” Morikawa said. “Maybe something wasn’t activated enough or what, but I went through all the warmups, felt fine. Just, yeah, it’s awful. I feel terrible.”
The injury now raises questions about how long collin Morikawa might need to recover before returning to competition.
