Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg back in contention after stressful Masters

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The emotional toll of contention lingers. It sticks longer than physical fatigue. The body is good about forgetting and restoring. The mind has a tougher time.

It’s a timely conversation this week at the RBC Heritage with the Masters in the rearview. The early portion of this week was centered solely around Scottie Scheffler – the euphoric high of winning a second green jacket and the taxing obligations that come after. Scheffler didn’t step foot on Harbour Town Golf Links until Wednesday and admitted it took him a few holes on Thursday to lock back into “tournament mode.”

But it’s as pertinent for the players that tried and failed to chase down Scheffler. Collin Morikawa was in the final group with Scheffler, hoping to win his first green jacket. Ludvig Åberg was attempting to join an illustrious list of golfers to win their first major start.

Their disappointment could have easily traveled three hours south to Hilton Head. Instead, it has fueled their bounceback. Morikawa and Åberg are in contention again after shooting matching 66s on Friday to enter the weekend with a chance at redemption. Morikawa, 11-under, is in a four-way tie for the lead. Åberg, 10-under, is right on their heels.

“Yeah, I'd like to think that I'm young and I'm able to handle it,” Åberg said. “But obviously last week was a lot, and it was a lot going through my mind. You can't really relax playing Augusta National in those conditions.”

Harbour Town provides a different type of exacting test. With tight fairway corridors and small greens, precision is demanded. Tee shots must move in both directions. Once you’re in the fairway, a level head is needed as tree limbs dangle into lines, threatening disaster if an approach starts slightly offline. In short, trouble lurks if the mind wanders.

Morikawa and Åberg were unbothered through two rounds, combining for just two bogeys through 36 holes. The two return to the spotlight in similar places they did two weeks ago. Morikawa is still working through his swing. He found something on Monday of Masters week that has parlayed into instant success. He’s maintained it at Harbour Town, with the fruits of his labor particularly present on Friday as he felt some adversity.

“Last Monday was a real big steppingstone. Look at today, I hit it poorly, but the misses weren't as bad, and the misses don't put me in spots that cause me a lot of strokes,” Morikawa said. “That's what it's about is kind of minimizing those mistakes.”

Morikawa hit 13-of-14 fairways but missed 10 greens. He got up and down on each occasion. Morikawa ranked second in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green. He needed just 21 putts to get around Harbour Town.

“I look back when I first turned pro, today was one of those days, didn't feel great, didn't hit it great, whatever, still posted a number and move on to the next couple days,” Morikawa added.

Åberg has the benefit of naivety. He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. And the potential heartbreak of nearly winning your first major championship has quickly slid off his back.

“I love playing back-to-back weeks. I think it's great,” Åberg said Thursday. “I feel like I'm getting better and better as I play on.”

Åberg’s patience was tested early. The Swede missed several makeable birdie putts and failed to take advantage of par 5s on the front nine. He made the turn in 1-under 35 and added four birdies on the back nine to finish bogey-free, 5-under. Åberg hit it to 3 feet on the par-3 17th and 5 feet on the par-4 18th for a pair of closing birdies.

“Kind of a bonus on those two holes, but obviously very pleased with the way we've been playing,” Åberg said.

Morikawa and Åberg insisted they would be ready for another laborious two rounds. It could feature Scheffler again, too. The No. 1 player in the world shot 65 on Friday to vault to 8-under, three strokes back.

It sets up another consequential weekend that may border on deja vu. Morikawa and Åberg will try their best to leave a different memory.