Morikawa, Wolff, Hovland, Suh gaining valuable PGA TOUR experience at Travelers Championship

CROMWELL, Conn. – If you’re thinking that 22-year-old Collin Morikawa – just three weeks into his pro career – looked comfortable sauntering along TPC River Highlands during the second round of the Travelers Championship, there’s a simple reason.

“I was comfortable from the start,” said the University of California standout. “This is what I’ve wanted to do the entire time since I’ve been a little kid.”

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Now that he’s arrived, he looks prepared to take advantage of his opportunities. Having finished T-14 at the RBC Canadian Open and T-35 in the U.S. Open to start the professional chapter of his career, Morikawa maintained positive movement on Friday with a 3-under 67 at the Travelers to reach 7-under 133. As he signed his card, Morikawa knew he was four off Zack Sucher’s clubhouse lead, but the bigger takeaway was the opportunity to play on the weekend for a third consecutive week.

“Just coming out here and living my dream,” he smiled.

He wasn’t alone with that sentiment, because his collegiate friends, who also received sponsor’s exemptions, also seemed to be comfortable inside the TPC River Highlands ropes.

Matt Wolff, 20, despite late turbulence, shot 68 to get halfway home in 2-under 138, which was enough to get into the weekend on the number.

Meanwhile, Wolff’s OSU teammate, Viktor Hovland, was in the afternoon wave and also made the cut on the number with two birdies in his final six holes. Justin Suh of USC, playing as a pro for the second time, made just one birdie and shot 73-73 to miss the cut.

“I made a lot of nice up-and-downs,” said Wolff, who started the day at level par, shot 3-under on the back, then got to 5-under with birdies at the second and sixth before he stumbled home with a bogey at the par-4 seventh and double at the par-4 ninth.

The closing double left a bad taste in his mouth (Wolff drove out-of-bounds right), but the recent winner of the NCAA Championship from Oklahoma State said he was thankful for the chance to make the cut and get in two more rounds of competitive golf against the world’s best.

Pleased as he was to survive the cut, Wolff knew he’d be well off the lead and not be in position to speak the way Morikawa could. “I’m out here to win,” said Morikawa, who has shot in the 60s six times in 10 rounds as a professional.

He’s made just one bogey each day, but pointing to his miscues, Morikawa knows he’s played par-5s in level par and he needs to improve in that category. On the positive side of the ledger, he’s hit 11 of 14 fairways each day and 25 of 36 greens through two rounds. Morikawa has a firm grasp of the way this PGA TOUR business works.

“I’m just trying to make as many birdies as I can out here.”

With nine, he’s got that covered.