5 things to know from Friday at the Sentry TOC

KAPALUA, Hawaii – There is a flicker of excitement in the dark eyes of Collin Morikawa at the mention of playing golf in Hawaii.

Front Street in Maui is where his grandparents were born and once owned a restaurant.

“Every time we walk by, my dad, I know he just kind of goes back to being a kid,” Morikawa said. “Like you could tell he wishes it was still there. I wish it was still there.”

Morikawa also wishes he could win a PGA Tour event in the Aloha State and notch his first victory since the 2021 British Open. He’s off to a good start, following up 64 with a bogey-free 7-under 66 on Friday to improve to 16-under 130 and take a two-stroke lead into the weekend.

Nothing would bring Morikawa more joy than doing so in front of so many family and friends.

“We had about 15 people here yesterday. So I think they will sprinkle in here and there throughout the week,” he said. “But for me, it’s just stay focused and get the job done.”

On another picture-postcard day, Morikawa came out of the gate hot, carding four birdies in his first five holes. He shot 66 despite failing to birdie two of the par 5s, Nos. 9 and 18. Through 36 holes, he’s the only player in the 38-man field that is bogey-free.

Morikawa, who recently started working with putting coach Stephen Sweeney, is having an exceptional week on the greens. He ranks first in Strokes Gained: Putting (+3.623).

“Before, it was just rolling the dice and guessing. So it’s just I have a little, I’m at ease now, knowing if I hit a bad shot or a good shot, just what I’m doing,” Morikawa said.

Here are four more things to know from the second round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Sentry TOC: Saturday tee times, how to watch