Collin Morikawa didn’t hold back. 

In the PGA Tour’s season-opening Sentry at Kapalua, Collin Morikawa shot 32 under, tied for the fourth-lowest score in Tour history. 

Not too shabby, right?

Well, only one thing—he finished runner-up, three strokes behind champion Hideki Matsuyama, who broke the Tour’s scoring record at 35 under. 

Afterward, Morikawa was asked how he would describe Matsuyama’s feat—and responded candidly. 

“Excuse my language, but f—,” he said, “35 under par is, that’s low.”

This runner-up at Kapalua, however, stings a little less than two years ago. In 2023,Morikawa blew a six-shot, 54-hole lead to Jon Rahm, despite leading by as much as nine strokes in the final round. 

“It’s a little better than two years ago, right?” Morikawa said after his final-round 6-under 67. “I mean, I would have had to shoot—(Matsuyama) shot, what, 8 under today? I would have had to shoot 10 today. I don’t know how many 10 unders were shot today.”

The answer would be one: Justin Thomas, who placed T26. 

So yes, with nearly an entire season left, a performance like the one Morikawa had on Sunday in Maui will likely help him notch his first Tour victory since the 2023 Zozo Championship. 

But close only counts in horseshoes. 

“It was nice to see the result, still would like to finish out on top,” Morikawa said.