Q. Bogey-free 67, solid playing. How did you feel about your day and what was working well?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was great. Still kind of dinking it around, slapping it. Limited on the shots I can play. But this is a course where I feel comfortable just being able to kind of plot my way around.
The misses can't be as big as last week, which favored me last week, which was very nice. But I kept it in front of me, hit some really, really good-quality iron shots, and yeah, just kind of continued the good play.
Q. In terms of 0 percent to 100 percent, where would you say you are?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: I'm still swinging at whatever the idea, 50 percent is. The body is probably slightly better than that. It's hard to trust the body right now. It's a very uncomfortable feeling. I had never experienced anything like it until about a month ago. There's just no trust, and that's the hardest thing, to say go fire at the shot when you're trying to play in a tournament because essentially for me I'm trying to last throughout the entire week.
I'm going to have to be in a little bit more of a comfortable at-home setting to test how far I can get to. But we'll do that after this week.
Q. Obviously always want to win, but in the context, was last week a mini-win of sorts?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was. I said it last week; it was one of the best tournaments I could have asked for. Grinded it out, obviously got on some nice runs Saturday and Sunday at the end of the rounds.
But yeah, this week hopefully we can put together rounds like this and see where we stack up come Sunday.
Q. Do you think it's insulting when somebody made a big deal out of the fact that you were set for the Masters next year?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: No. I mean, I don't think I was qualified, so if we're there, we're there.
Q. What is the prognosis?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: What ended up happening, I think -- like I'm not in pain. I know it looked painful, but I'm just very scared, and I've never been this scared in my life to go out and play. But I think it's because it happened on the golf course. I've never had any back stuff happen on the golf course. Every time in the gym. Then I'd go out and swing, I'm just saying, do I feel good enough to swing.
I've just been so timid and so shy in a way because the buildup was going okay, kind of had a minor setback, and then at the end of the day it was like, I need to tee it up at the Masters.
There was a point where it was like, okay, let's stop pushing to see how far we can get and let's see what I can just work with. I've had back issues over the past three years. We've seen it. I've just got to find a way to kind of protect it a little bit more.
Q. When are you going to stop being scared?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: I don't know. I don't know. I think it's going to take a little bit more time at home to push the limits. I feel like I'm swinging a little bit better in the motion, at least, but I wouldn't say I'm putting more effort into it because, like I said, I need to be at home to say, okay, let's turn up the gears. If I do feel a little uncomfortable, at least I'm home, I'm not trying to play a tournament where I essentially need to make it 72 holes.
Q. How do you handle a stretch like this of five out of six weeks with three Sigs and two majors?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Look, the plan was to go play all of them. Right now, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm going to have to figure it out, see how comfortable I can get at home. The next three weeks, the two Signatures and the PGA are big-boy golf courses.
Q. Have you been to Doral?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: No, I haven't been to Doral, haven't been to Aronimink. I assume they're big-boy golf courses.
Q. Doral is.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: So we'll see. I want to be very healthy. I don't want to be limping around and being scared of taking a golf ball out of a hole or teeing it up, and unfortunately that's just where I'm at right now.
I need to be comfortable in these uncomfortable situations, and these last two weeks are helping me slowly get over it, but I think being home will help even more.
Q. Did you consider not playing this week?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: I mean, I thought about it, but this is one of the flat test courses out here. It's not a long golf course so I can kind of work my way around. Not really, unless something popped up. We're good so far.
Q. It's one you can't really injure it worse by playing --
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I don't think so. I think the mind is what's blocking me right now. It's something I've never had to deal with, but I've got to get over it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports