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Collin Morikawa explains why he keeps testing putters at Arnold Palmer

admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:58:22 +0000

Fresh off his Pebble Beach win, Collin Morikawa admits the equipment tinkering never stops, especially when it comes to wedges and putters.

I saw Collin Morikawa was testing putters Tuesday at Bay Hill, less than three weeks after winning, and had to ask him about it. pic.twitter.com/0my9J7cC9c

— David Dusek (@Golfweek_Dusek) March 4, 2026

ORLANDO — Seventeen days ago, Collin Morikawa shot a Sunday 67 to beat Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka by a shot and win the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. At 29, he has won two majors and played on the United States Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. The win at Pebble Beach was his seventh, and heading into this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, the former University of California star has more than $47 million in career earnings.

He also has a disease that afflicts weekend golfers around the world: He can’t stop tinkering with his gear.

Spend a few minutes listening to Morikawa talk about equipment and you quickly realize something. The obsession that drives a 12-handicap to pull three different putters out of the garage before a Saturday morning round is not all that different from the impulse that sends one of the best players in the world down a rabbit hole of testing. The stakes are higher, the tools are better and the feedback is more precise, but the instinct is the same.

“Yeah, I’m the worst,” Morikawa said Wednesday afternoon. “You should see my house, and you should see my conversations with the TaylorMade guys, they’re really fun,” he added, laughing at his own sarcasm. “I’m sure they hate me by now.”

The reason for the 29-year-old’s compulsion is simple. For Morikawa, feel matters, and feel is not something that can be measured on a machine like loft or weight.

“Feel’s very hard to explain to people and to club fitters and even other players because everyone’s different,” he said.

Morikawa explained while the numbers may tell one story, his hands and his eyes can tell another, and while his head may now say a club will work for him, he’ll just know it’s not right.

“So I do that a lot (of testing), but not necessarily on irons,” he said. “When I find my woods, I leave my woods alone, but wedges I tend to mess around with a lot, 60s, and putters.”

True two form, Morikawa had two 60-degree wedges in his bag on Tuesday.

Having won less than three weeks ago, you might suspect that Morikawa’s bag and setup is locked in place, and having been victorious with a TaylorMade Spider at Pebble Beach, his quest for the ideal putter would be suspended. You’d think wrong.

“So I brought up to James, who, James Holley, who has fitted nearly all of us in our Spiders,” Morikawa said. “And I was like, look, we’re going to be going on a lot faster greens, they’re going to look a lot faster, they’re going to play faster, they’re going to be baked. There’s a certain ball speed I like off the face.”

On Tuesday, Holley, who is TaylorMade’s PGA Tour rep for putters, brought Morikawa three Spiders to try ahead of this week’s tournament, each with a slightly different insert.

“The insert I’m using, I believe is the same insert as what Scottie, Rory and Tommy (use). It’s kind of the stock insert that a lot of people use in the Spiders,” Morikawa said. “And for me it’s just like, let’s just check a box.”

In classic Tour-player fashion, the testing process itself was brief. A 10-minute putting session on the practice green confirmed to Morikawa that he’s using the ideal putter. Ten minutes might sound casual to the average golfer who has spent an hour in a store trying to decide between two nearly identical mallets, but Morikawa explained that elite players tend to know very quickly whether something works.

In the end, all that tinkering led Morikawa right back where he started. The putter he had been using stayed in the bag.

“But I’m very, very happy, I’m sticking with the same one I’ve been using,” he said. “And it’s nice because it just confirms that like what I’m feeling over this putter is kind of what I’m looking for. I just wanted to test other ones to make sure that.”

If that sounds like the equipment version of checking the fridge three times to confirm there’s still no leftover pizza, well, welcome to the mind of a professional golfer.

Asked whether there will ever come a time when the experimentation stops, Morikawa didn’t hesitate.

“No,” he said. “No. Sadly not. At least not for me.”

For the TaylorMade reps that support Morikawa, that answer might inspire a groan or two. For golf nerds everywhere, it’s oddly comforting.

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2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational Sunday TV coverage: Round 4

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 15:09:16 +0000

The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational concludes on Sunday at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament on Sunday, including full Arnold Palmer Invitational TV coverage, streaming details and Round 4 tee times.

How to watch Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday

It will be a long Sunday for the leaders at Bay Hill.

With a weather delay impacting Saturday’s play, Daniel Berger and Akshay Bhatia were unable to finish their third rounds. Bhatia finished Saturday with a birdie on No. 16 in near darkness. Berger, looking at 33 feet for eagle, handed his putter to his caddie and chose to sleep on it.

The chasers, meanwhile, raced to the clubhouse on Saturday to make sure they could avoid the same fate as Berger and Bhatia.

Berger and Bhatia arrived early Sunday morning and finished the final two-plus holes of their third round.

Berger, who jumped out to an early tournament lead with a Thursday 63, leads by one at 13 under. Bhatia sits at 12 under. Sepp Straka, Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young are all three back.

You can watch the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on TV via NBC and Golf Channel, with Golf Channel opening the Saturday coverage at 12:30 p.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive Round 3 streaming coverage starting on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET, as well as featured group and featured hole coverage throughout the day. Peacock will stream a simulcast of NBC’s final-round coverage.

Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the fourth round of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Get ESPN+

With an ESPN+ subscription, you gain access to PGA Tour Live, where you can stream the best PGA Tour events live from wherever you want.

How to watch on TV Sunday

NBC and Golf Channel will split final-round TV coverage of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Golf Channel’s Sunday telecast runs from 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET, followed by NBC from 2:30-6 p.m. ET.

How to stream online Sunday

You can stream the final round of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, which will offer streaming coverage starting at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, in addition to featured group and hole coverage. You can watch a simulcast of NBC’s Round 4 coverage on Peacock.

2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational Round 4 tee times (ET)

Tee No. 1

9:30 a.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Brian Harman
9:40 a.m. — Daniel Bennett (a), Chris Kirk
9:50 a.m. — Max Greyserman, Nick Taylor
10 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Keith Mitchell
10:10 a.m. — Taylor Moore, Andrew Putnam
10:25 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Nico Echavarría
10:35 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Andrew Novak
10:45 a.m. — Lucas Glover, Matt McCarty
10:55 a.m. — Corey Conners, Ryan Fox
11:05 a.m. — Michael Kim, Billy Horschel
11:20 a.m. — Nicolai Hojgaard, Ryo Hisatsune
11:30 a.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Kurt Kitayama
11:40 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Harris English
11:50 a.m. —Jacob Bridgeman, Si Woo Kim
Noon — Alex Noren, Maverick McNealy
12:15 p.m. — Sahith Theegala, Patrick Rodgers
12:25 p.m. — Xander Schauffele, Michael Thorbjornsen
12:35 p.m. — Adam Scott, Jhonattan Vegas
12:45 p.m. — Jordan Spieth, Bud Cauley
12:55 p.m. — Rickie Fowler, Viktor Hovland
1:10 p.m. — Harry Hall, Russell Henley
1:20 p.m. — Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Aberg
1:30 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Min Woo Lee
1:40 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Cameron Young
1:50 p.m. — Daniel Berger, Akshay Bhatia

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Rory McIlroy withdraws from Arnold Palmer with back injury

admin — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:31:20 +0000

Rory McIlroy’s weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational never got started as he withdrew Saturday afternoon before his tee time with a back injury.

It’s just the second WD of McIlroy’s PGA Tour career. The first came at the 2013 Honda Classic when he was 7 over and cited a toothache.

According to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, the World No. 2 tweaked a muscle in his back during a pre-round gym session. After tweaking his back, McIlroy went to the range to hit some balls and see if he could work through it. He ultimately decided not to play. McIlroy told Lewis he might have been able to gut it out, but didn’t want to push it with the major season on the horizon.

McIlroy released the following statement shortly after his WD.

“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back. As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back. Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”

McIlroy fired a 4-under 68 on Friday to jump into the top 10, but still entered the weekend nine shots behind 36-hole leader Daniel Berger. He is coming off a T2 finish at the Genesis Invitational in his last start. With the Players and the Masters on the horizon, McIroy arrived at Bay Hill feeling confident in the state of his game.

“It feels like it’s in really good shape,” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “I’m really happy with the signs that I saw at Pebble Beach and Riviera. I think I did really well in Strokes Gained: Approach in those two events. I drove the ball pretty well at Riviera. I just couldn’t make a putt for 27 holes. But I put that down to the sort of the very fast, bumpy poa annua. But I was really happy with where my game was coming out of the West Coast, and I’ve kept ticking along the past week and played some golf and I’m excited for these two weeks, I feel like I’m in good shape.”

The career Grand Slam winner is the defending champion at next week’s Players Championship and at the Masters, which is 33 days away. McIlroy told Golfweek’s Adam Schupak that he was “all good” as he left the Bay Hill property.

McIlroy, who defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole playoff at last year’s Players, is scheduled to have his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday at 7:45 a.m.

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2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational Saturday TV coverage: Round 3

admin — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 09:27:07 +0000

The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational’s third round gets underway Saturday morning at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament on Saturday, including full Arnold Palmer Invitational TV coverage, streaming details and Round 3 tee times.

How to watch Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday

Daniel Berger gave himself a nice lead heading into the second round at Bay Hill. On Friday, his lead grew even larger.

The four-time PGA Tour winner followed up a nine-under opening round with a 68 in Round 2 to reach 13 under at the halfway point of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. That gives Berger a five-shot lead over Akshay Bhatia heading into Saturday’s third round.

But star players like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler all find themselves within the top 15 with 36 holes to play. So anything can happen over the weekend, starting with Round 3.

You can watch the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on TV via NBC and Golf Channel, with Golf Channel opening the Saturday coverage at 12:30 p.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive Round 3 streaming coverage starting on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET, as well as featured group and featured hole coverage throughout the day. Peacock will stream a simulcast of NBC’s third-round coverage.

Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the third round of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Get ESPN+

With an ESPN+ subscription, you gain access to PGA Tour Live, where you can stream the best PGA Tour events live from wherever you want.

How to watch on TV Saturday

NBC and Golf Channel will split third-round TV coverage of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Golf Channel’s Saturday telecast runs from 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET, followed by NBC from 2:30-6 p.m. ET.

How to stream online Saturday

You can stream the third round of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, which will offer streaming coverage starting at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, in addition to featured group and hole coverage. You can watch a simulcast of NBC’s Round 3 coverage on Peacock.

2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational Round 3 tee times (ET)

Tee No. 1

9:20 a.m. – Andrew Novak, Brian Harman
9:30 a.m. – Taylor Pendrith, Nico Echavarria
9:40 a.m. – Keith Mitchell, Lucas Glover
9:50 a.m. – Matt McCarty, Taylor Moore
10:00 a.m. – Chris Kirk, Patrick Rodgers
10:10 a.m. – Austin Smotherman, Tommy Fleetwood
10:25 a.m. – Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Højgaard
10:35 a.m. – Andrew Putnam, Alex Noren
10:45 a.m. – Michael Kim, Max Greyserman
10:55 a.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Viktor Hovland
11:05 a.m. – Maverick McNealy, Jacob Bridgeman
11:20 a.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Taylor
11:30 a.m. – Billy Horschel, Corey Conners
11:40 a.m. – Jordan Spieth, Jhonattan Vegas
11:50 a.m. – Harry Hall, Kurt Kitayama
12:00 p.m. – Ryo Hisatsune, Daniel Bennett
12:15 p.m. – Adam Scott, Si Woo Kim
12:25 p.m. – Harris English, Scottie Scheffler
12:35 p.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Sepp Straka
12:45 p.m. – Min Woo Lee, Cameron Young
12:55 p.m. – Rory McIlroy, Ryan Fox
1:10 p.m. – Bud Cauley, Chris Gotterup
1:20 p.m. – Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley
1:30 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler
1:40 p.m. – Ludvig Åberg, Sahith Theegala
1:50 p.m. – Daniel Berger, Akshay Bhatia

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