There weren’t any more obvious choices for the man to tee off the 2024 Sentry at Kapalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui than Collin Morikawa given his connection to the place and people.
As the PGA Tour returns to Maui it does so aware that the island and its population are still healing from devastating wildfires.
Morikawa was struck by the poignance of the moment as he took in the sounds of the Sentry opening ceremony from the driving range.
The ceremony featured blessings and chants that celebrate the new year and signal the start of regrowth, renewal and rebirth quite fittingly considering what has transpired.
Morikawa’s family once owned a restaurant in nearby Lahaina and he still feels a deep connection.
“I know what everyone has gone through, you hear it from these families, and you meet everyone out here on the island that knows someone or has been affected firsthand,” Morikawa told PGA TOUR media.
“Maui’s small. Hawaii’s very, very small. People know everyone. Just got emotional. Being able to hit that first tee shot, it was an honour just to be able to do that, and it’s a great way to kick off the new year.”
Meals for Maui ❤️
This week, @Collin_Morikawa visited Hua Momona Farms to help prepare boxes for the community.
With Lahaina on his mind, Collin is ready for the week @TheSentry. pic.twitter.com/nVJi8liMK4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 4, 2024
He noted that Kapalua is a good course for him to play given that is has reasonably forgiving fairways and good players can generally recover quite well from a bad shot.
“You’re going to hit bad shots,” Morikawa said, “but if I can have that freedom in my head that I can swing as hard as I want and as cleanly as I want and not worry where the ball’s going to go that’s all I can ask for.”
In four appearances at The Sentry, he has placed no worse than seventh, including a runner-up result last year after carrying a six-shot lead into the final round.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua delivers a one-of-a-kind challenge not found anywhere else on the PGA TOUR. Because of the high winds that frequently buffet this mountainous course, it was designed with broad fairways and spacious greens, but its defining feature is the steep slopes that compel players to hit shots they won’t see anywhere else. And Thursday’s opening tee shot was unlike any other for Morikawa.
“That was as big of an honor as I could have had,” Morikawa said. ”Not because it was the first tournament of the year, but because it was out here in Maui, everything that this week represents for me. It just means that much more.”
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