If you’ve been watching the 2025 U.S. Open coverage, you might have caught a glimpse of Collin Morikawa on the practice range Monday holding a golf club down his spine.
You might have wondered what he was doing, but, if you’re a golf nerd that’s constantly tweaking your swing, you likely recognized the drill as a clever trick for checking posture at address.
Tuesday afternoon, Morikawa confirmed suspicions during a press conference and offered up an in-depth explanation about why he’s focusing on this setup key, and how this simple aspect could play a major role this week at Oakmont.
“It’s all posture,” Morikawa said, “I’ve been trying to find this little thing that just allows me to use my hands that I know I can use. A lot of the feel comes from our hands and dictating where that shot goes.”
“You look at the best in the world, Scottie Scheffler, doesn’t matter where his feet and everything move, he has control of that golf club,” Morikawa says, “Recently I feel like I’ve been a little too crowded at setup, and this posture is just allowing me to give myself space without forcing my body in bad positions.”
Not only can poor posture get Morikawa into improper body positions, but he explains that it’s also reduced his ability to use his hands.
“It’s finding little ways to get in good posture but just be relaxed so I can use my hands,” he says.
And when you’re navigating rough as thick as Oakmont’s, being able to use your hands is crucial for controlling the clubface.
“This is just thick,” Morikawa says, “Clubs will turn over. You’re going to see guys trying to hit pitching wedge out and it’s going to go 45 degrees left because that’s how thick the rough is.”
Although U.S. Open green crews have mowed down the rough, it will certainly be interesting to see how these players—including Morikawa—stack up against the thick second cut later this week.
