Collin Morikawa injury update before the 2026 U.S. Open

Collin Morikawa offered a cautious health update at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open, saying he is still searching for a trust factor in his back as he returns from the injury that has nagged him since March. The two-time major winner confirmed he will play this week at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley and again at next week’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, but he admitted he is not yet fully comfortable with the swing.

Morikawa is back in action after a four-week break, and the timing matters because the U.S. Open is only days away. Anyone weighing a bet or a DFS roster spot on him now has fresh information to work with.

What did Collin Morikawa say about his back injury?

Morikawa said he is still building belief in his back and does not want the problem to flare up again. Speaking at the RBC Canadian Open, he described the recovery as a work in progress rather than a finished story, and he framed this week as a test run before Shinnecock.

In his own words, Morikawa said there is “still a trust factor that I’m looking for” as he eases back into competition. He added that he is “still a little bit on edge just because I don’t want it to happen again,” a candid admission from a player who is usually measured about his physical condition. He also suggested his swing looks better than his recent scores, which he framed as a reason for optimism.

How the injury has shaped Morikawa’s 2026 season

The trouble traces back to The Players Championship in March, where Morikawa withdrew after a single hole. He kept playing through it for much of the spring, including a start at the Masters and a tie for 55th at the PGA Championship, before stepping away to let the back settle down.

He then skipped the Memorial Tournament. The break was partly to rest the back and partly personal, because he and his wife Katherine welcomed their first child during that window. The RBC Canadian Open is his first competitive round since the PGA Championship, and it doubles as final preparation for the U.S. Open. He drew a Thursday morning grouping alongside reigning PGA champion Aaron Rai and Justin Rose.

Collin Morikawa betting and DFS angle

The honest read is that this update is a yellow flag, not a green light. A player publicly saying he does not fully trust his body is rarely a confident bet at a short number, and the market has already cooled on him. Morikawa opened around +2250 at the RBC Canadian Open and drifted out toward +2500 by midweek, reflecting both the layoff and his uneven recent form.

Several previews had already faded him before these comments, citing the back, the new-father schedule, and a stretch of middling results. The trust-factor quote reinforces that caution. If you want exposure, the cleaner route is a top-20 or matchup angle rather than an outright at this venue, where his ball-striking ceiling can still play even if the putter and the body are not all the way there.

For the U.S. Open, Morikawa sits well behind favorite Scottie Scheffler on the board, and a balky back at a brutal Shinnecock setup is a tough sell at this stage. He is better treated as a watch-and-confirm name. If he posts four clean rounds in Canada and reports no setback, his Shinnecock price could become more interesting. For DFS this week, he profiles as a high-variance tournament dart rather than a cash-game anchor.

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What it means for the rest of the field

A less-than-100-percent Morikawa removes one of the more talented names from the top tier of the RBC Canadian Open outright market and pushes a little more value toward the in-form ball-strikers ahead of him. It also adds one more question mark to a U.S. Open field that is already short on certainty behind Scheffler.

Frequently asked questions

When does Collin Morikawa tee off at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open?

Morikawa starts his first round on Thursday, June 11, at 7:33 a.m. Eastern, playing alongside Aaron Rai and Justin Rose at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

When is the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills?

The U.S. Open runs June 18 through 21, 2026, at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. It is the sixth U.S. Open hosted at the course.

Has Collin Morikawa ever won the U.S. Open?

No. Morikawa’s two major titles are the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. He is still chasing his first U.S. Open and Masters wins to complete the career Grand Slam.

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