Q. How would you assess your round out there today?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was really solid. I'd say two-thirds of it, I could have placed where my ball was in the fairway and where I wanted to be. It was probably as good of a driver as I could have hit. Hit a couple squirrelly ones at the end, but it's going to happen sometimes. You're going to hit a couple bad shots.
But overall, it was a solid day. Putting felt really good. It was nice to make some decently length putts, and hopefully we just have one of those days or three days of just really good ball-striking because it still does feel really good.
Q. We were impressed by the fact that you have white pants on, and they seem almost perfectly clean except for a little bit. You must have been in a lot of fairways and a lot of greens.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: I mean, they're definitely dirty. I didn't do the Tom Kim out there. I saw what he was doing. Interesting style choice.
But yeah, it was a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. I was in control of my golf ball, and that's what I've been asking for for the past month and a half. That's what I've been able to see, especially since Detroit.
Even though the Open didn't go my way and I missed the cut, I still felt like I had control of the golf ball. So it is what it is.
Q. I know we talked in Detroit about eliminating one side of the golf course. Was that really when things started to turn that week?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, 100 percent. When I'm able to free it up and aim down the left and just swing and know the ball is not going to go left -- yeah, you're going to hit some here and there, but just being able to swing freely, that's the best thing you can do. Just setting up to the ball, not worrying about where it's going to go, just knowing, okay, this is what I want to do, how do I execute that shot.
Q. We know that you're going to help the people in Maui. Can you talk about where the money -- you're going to give 1,000 for every birdie. Where does the money go?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: We've decided on two charities, Maui United Way and World Central Kitchen to help out not just people in Maui but obviously hopefully people in Hawai'i because it's everywhere.
It's devastating what we've been able to -- what we've been seeing. The before-and-after photos are just heartbreaking, knowing that my entire dad's side of the family grew up there. My grandparents were born in Lahaina. We had the restaurant out there. That's what the photo was. We went there as kids. It's a special place.
It's amazing how many things you take for granted really in life, and when you see that, it's just heartbreaking.
Q. Is that restaurant affected? Was it also --
COLLIN MORIKAWA: It's been gone -- they sold the restaurant before I was even born, so that was something that I never got to experience, but it was along Front Street. It was right there. We used to walk by. I think it's like a jewelry store now that took over, at least took over now.
Yeah, it's just terrible.
Q. You still have relatives there, right?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Plenty of relatives. A lot of them are in Oahu now, so I think there's only a couple that are in Maui. I think they're all right, but just to hear -- woke up this morning, just checking the news, and to see how many people have passed away from that, yeah, it's -- I'm at a loss for words.
Q. Do you try to put that aside during a round? Do you embrace it? How do you approach that?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, look, I want to make a lot of birdies for them. One of our friends texted me, and they're like, okay, $100,000. I'm like, shoot, 100 birdies in three tournaments? I don't know if that's ever been done. But it would be a great feat to say the least.
Look, it's hard not to think about it, but at the end of the day, I'm here to win. It's in the back of my mind for sure. It's extra motivation and just perspective I think while we're out there.
Q. From an awareness standpoint on what's going on in Maui and in Hawai'i, are you hoping that your performance, what you're doing, what you put on Instagram yesterday will put maybe more PGA TOUR golfers' eyes on what's happening out there, maybe some of them will donate some things, as well?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: I hope so. I mean, look, it's one of the best places in the world we travel to year in and year out to go to Kapalua, play golf there. Hopefully -- I know I'm going to ask my sponsors, I'm going to ask people that I know just to help out. Anything helps. Really anything. Per birdie I make, whatever you can afford, whatever you want to put in. It's a generous donation.
I'm going to be pushing hard to make those birdies, and hopefully everyone else can reach out and help out as much as they can.
Q. You're going to do it for all the Playoff events?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: All three, all throughout the Playoffs, yes, sir.
Q. This is a bit of a change of pace, but the talk of the golf world today is about the book excerpt about Phil. I wondered what the reaction was amongst you guys when you heard about it or if you've heard about it.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, look, the truth, I don't know what the truth exactly is, but from what everyone is reporting, that's a lot of bets per day. I don't know how I'd be able to play.
Look, I have no business commenting on it. I know Phil, but I don't know Phil that well to know what his personal life was like. I don't know Billy Walters. I have no spot on commenting.
Q. I'm curious what you think, this is now I guess the second year of Memphis, the first playoff event. What do you think about it as being the first playoff event, and do you take a different approach in the first playoff event as opposed to the second playoff event? I guess it partly depends on where you are in the standings.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: I mean, the past two years, I've had to come out here, I think I've been roughly in the same spot in the FedExCup. These are big weeks for me.
When you're in the top 10, you're not cruising but you're able to just kind of -- if you have one bad week, you know you're making it to East Lake. You can still play well at Olympia. I've got to have two good weeks to make sure I get there.
No, nothing is taken lightly. I think this is a fantastic golf course, especially when it's not wet. It sucks that it's wet, and we've seen a lot of mud, but that's Mother Nature. You can't control that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports