US Open star Collin Morikawa shares 'cheating' hack as huge worry emerges

Collin Morikawa put forward that using a 9-wood to escape the intimidating rough at Oakmont was akin to "cheating" as he gears up for the US Open.

Having made waves since his PGA Tour debut in 2019, Morikawa, with a fresh caddie in tow, continues to shine as one of golf's best players. After an incredible start to life on the tour in the form of 22 successful cuts in a row, trailing only behind Tiger Woods' 25, the dual major winner is now eyeing victory at the US Open to go along with his 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship wins.

Aware of how pivotal the rough and mud balls will be in the battle for this week's crown, discussions about the challenge posed by the thick grass have been rife.

Notably, Bryson DeChambeau discovered the danger posed by the rough, as did Rory McIlroy during a horror practice round in which he shot 81.

Answering a question on whether chopping out from the rough sideways to prevent the ball from lingering amongst the deep grass would help in the tournament, Morikawa said that one club represented a cheat code but conceded it would still be a very big issue to face.

"Huge," he declared. "Look, I've got a 9-wood. It's like cheating. I told that to myself yesterday, and then I had some lies today that were not playable.

"Look, at the end of the day, when you have really long rough, hitting a 9-iron is going to be more beneficial than trying to hit a 6-iron if the ball is really down just because you need loft to get out of the rough. I don't think people understand how thick the rough is. It's not wispy like the club is going to go through. Sometimes you see that at The Open.

"This is just thick. Clubs will turn over. You're going to see guys trying to hit pitching wedge out, and it's going to go 45 degrees left because that's how thick the rough is. That's just how you have to play it.

"It's just being smart. When you're in the rough out here, there's still bunkers you have to carry. It's not like you just play it out to the front of the green. There's bunkers you might have to carry if you hit it off line. You're just honestly trying to make four from 150 yards."

Morikawa continued to highlight the challenges the rough will pose: "There's no loft. You have to get down. You have to be steep to get to the ball in the rough, and when you're steep, it delofts the face, so you're just hitting it deeper into the earth. It's very, very hard."

Morikawa also lamented the formidable eighth hole during his Monday practice round – a behemoth of a par-three stretching 300 yards, set to become the lengthiest in US Open history. Facing this daunting prospect, Morikawa resorted to using a driver off the tee.

Morikawa is heading into the US Open with hopes of securing his first victory since the 2023 ZOZO Championship in Japan. He narrowly missed out on a win at the Arnold Palmer, and then ended up tied-14th at the Masters, which was won by Rory McIlroy.

After his performance at Augusta, Morikawa has begun collaborating with Joe Greiner, previously the caddie for Max Homa. His tie for 50th place at the PGA Championship left him frustrated as he watched Scottie Scheffler clinch a third major title.

Morikawa will commence his US Open campaign alongside world No. 1 Scheffler and Viktor Hovland on Thursday.