No 4 Morikawa ponders career Slam with Masters in his sights, Cabrera returns
With triumphs at two majors and strong showings at the two others, Collin Morikawa admits the thoughts have snuck into his mind about a career Grand Slam.
World No 4 Morikawa captured the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 British Open.
The 28-year-old American would love to move one step closer to the feat by winning this week's Masters at Augusta National.
He has two top five finishes at both the Masters and US Open over the past four years, sharing third last year for his best Masters showing.
That's enough to ponder joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player and Ben Hogan in the career Slam club.
"I've been in the lead at the Masters last year. A few years ago even at Brookline (2022 US Open) I was leading through 36. Yeah, it creeps in," Morikawa said.
"If it doesn't creep in, then you really don't care. For me, you care so you want to put yourself in these positions. It doesn't always work out but it's definitely something you want to try and accomplish.
"I do know fully how hard it is, but it's not like one of them I haven't played well. I've been close. It's just keep knocking at the door."
He intends to pound a bit harder at the Masters this week, where his shotmaking has him comfortable and confident.
"I think it's just getting comfortable," Morikawa said. "The more reps you get in, the more you understand this golf course, how you play it and how you fit it into your game.
"I've found a way in the past few years how to kind of dissect this golf course and really use my strengths, especially with irons and the undulating greens, to take that to my advantage and hopefully give myself a lot of looks."
Morikawa, a runner-up last month at Bay Hill and in the season-opening tournament of champions, leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee to green, just ahead of world No 2 Rory McIlroy and top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler.
Morikawa was one stroke off the Masters lead after 54 holes last year before a final-round 74 doomed that dream.
Recovery from a major defeat, Morikawa said, is a never-ending process.
"I don't think it ever stops, the recovery stuff. I think you look back and think, what could I have done different?" Morikawa said.
"Because it just always brings up the memories of some good, some bad. Last year I think I was in a place where I didn't feel like I was in control of my game.
"I look back at last year and a lot of it was how do I just make do with what I have. You can win tournaments like that, but if you're really trying to win the Masters, you want to be a little bit more in control."
CABRERA RETURNS TO MASTERS WITH REGRETS
Angel Cabrera returns to the Masters this week for the first time since spending 30 months in prison for domestic violence, expressing regret while hoping to take advantage of a second chance.
The 55-year-old from Argentina won the Masters in 2009 but has not played in a major since 2019 after being behind bars from 2021-2023.
Cabrera was approved to play PGA Tour-sanctioned events in 2023 and won last week's 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.
"I'm very happy," Cabrera said on Tuesday. "Had a great week and that gives me a lot of confidence to even play better this week."
Cabrera said he has learned from his actions and hopes to make the most of his second chance beyond golf.
"Obviously I regret things that happened, and you learn from them," Cabrera said. "But at the same time those are in the past and we have to look forward what's coming.
"Life has given me another opportunity. I got to take advantage of that, and I want to do the right things in this second opportunity."
Cabrera sees himself as a changed man from the times he committed crimes.
"There was a stage in my life of five years that they weren't the right things I should have done," Cabrera said. "Before that I was OK, so I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right."
Cabrera, who defeated Americans Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a playoff 16 years ago to become the first Masters champion from South America, accepts that some golf fans don't feel he should be able to play at Augusta National again.
"I respect their opinion," he said. "Everybody has their own opinion, and I respect that."
Cabrera said he never considered during his incarceration that he might never play the Masters again.
"I never thought of that, I just let things pass," Cabrera said. "I never thought either I was going to come back or not. It's just the way things happen."
Cabrera said he most missed his fellow players and the chance to simply walk the famed layout.
"I'm very grateful," he said. "Obviously the people of the golf world are very great with me, and I just appreciated the way they treated me."
Cabrera is able to play the Masters as a past champion but asked if he felt he deserved to play in the event again, he replied, "I won the Masters. Why not?"
Cabrera, who also won the 2007 US Open at Oakmont, will also be welcomed back to the Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday night.
"I just want to have a great time," he said. "The family of golf, they are great colleagues, and I missed them. I just want to have a great time with them."
'JOYFULNESS' IN JACKET
It will give Cabrera a chance to once more don his green jacket, which remains at Augusta National after the year following a victory.
"Obviously joyfulness," Cabrera said about the feeling of wearing his green jacket. "To put it on, it's going to feel great again."
One former champion who has stayed in touch with Cabrera through his darkest hours is South African Gary Player.
"Since the situation I had, he has always been in contact with me, always been by my side. So the only guy I talked to is Gary," Cabrera said.
"Like any colleague, he wanted to give me advice, that things were going to happen and things would get better and that's what's happened."
Cabrera said he worked on his game to try and recover from not playing for so long, but winning a Champions title was beyond his expectations.
"I don't know if I'm exactly my game's back technically. I just started to practice a lot and get ready for this moment," Cabrera said.
"I knew I just had to practice and things would learn by themselves and that would happen, but I wasn't thinking of winning that trophy."
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