Collin Morikawa entered the 2026 RBC Heritage already feeling scared and managing a back injury that had forced him off the course mid-round just weeks earlier. What happened at Harbour Town on the weekend gave everyone a fresh reason to worry all over again.

During the third round, Morikawa hit a shot from a pot bunker and lost his balance on the follow-through as his club hit the front wall. He tumbled, and his back hit the wall of the bunker on the other side. Morikawa quickly recovered and used his arms to steady himself. The ball ended up on the edge of the green. It was a fantastic shot, but commentators couldn’t help but express concern for Morikawa’s lower back.

“Little concerned about how it’s gonna affect his ailing lower back right there,” Jim Nantz could be heard saying. The concern was genuine as Morikawa himself admitted earlier this week that his lower back is still causing problems. “I don’t want to be limping around and being scared of taking a golf ball out of a hole or teeing it up, and unfortunately, that’s just where I’m at right now.”

Top Stories

Golf

Jordan Spieth Hits Career Milestone No PGA Tour Player Has in 20 Years

1 day ago

Golf

$3.6 Billion Worth LPGA Sponsor Drops Prize Money Bombshell During Live Broadcast as Players React

12 hrs ago

Golf

Tiger Woods’ Bizarre Behavior With Police Immediately After DUI Crash Revealed in New Report: ‘All the Drones’

19 hrs ago

Golf

‘It’s Unbelievable’: Bryson DeChambeau Fumes at LIV Golf Over Mismanagement at $30M Event

1 day ago

In March 2026, Morikawa withdrew from the PLAYERS Championship after a practice swing on the 11th tee caused instant pain. As a result, he missed three weeks, including the Valero Texas Open. Quite naturally, any small injury can cause long-term damage. It’s even more unfortunate because Morikawa was on a hot run before the lower back threw a monkey wrench in his plans.

He snapped his winless streak at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and then bagged consecutive top-10s in the next two tournaments. After being forced out of The Players, where he was a favorite to win, Morikawa returned at the Masters and managed a brilliant T7. Still, with the PGA Championship looming, his ailing back is a cause of concern.

Nevertheless, the 29-year-old has kept playing good golf. He shot a four-under 67 on Thursday, a 68 on Friday, and a 69 on Saturday, sitting at T19 at nine-under after three rounds. He described his approach this week as “dinking it around, slapping it.” Harbour Town, one of the flattest courses on the Tour, gave him the best possible setting to manage his body without fully shutting down.

Augusta also told a similar story. Collin Morikawa called it a “mini-win,” finishing tied for seventh after 9-under. Before that week, he said he needed to protect his back a little bit more and had stopped pushing his limit. A key reason why the moment at RBC Heritage was hard to miss, and for fans already watching Morikawa’s every move this week, it sparked an immediate reaction online.

Fans react to Collin Morikawa’s bunker fall as back worries spill online.

“It’s the lower back concern for me,” said one fan, zeroing in on the injury rather than the fall itself.

“Watch that back now, Colin,” warned another fan.

“When the IPAs hit on the back 9,” joked one user, cutting through the tension.

Morikawa has been dealing with lower back issues dating back to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2026 Players Championship withdrawal confirmed the problem had reached a new level. After resting for 3 weeks, Morikawa returned to the Masters, still managing discomfort. At Harbour Town, he described his swing as “survival mode.”

However, the humor was juxtaposed with a serious backdrop. Morikawa has described feeling scared on the golf course, something that is genuinely rare to hear from a player ranked eighth in the world.

“If you have ever dealt with back pain, swinging through and falling backwards like that instead of tensing up is very smart,” noted one fan, offering the most grounded read of the clip.

“How did it happen? He hit it, and it rolled 30 feet past the pin. That’s how it happened,” quipped another, shifting the focus entirely to the shot result.

Morikawa’s 2026 season has become as much about managing his body as competing for trophies. Sunday at Harbour Town will add another chapter, but the bigger story plays out in the weeks that follow.