Collin Morikawa is entering the BMW Championship with a renewed focus after enduring a difficult stretch on the PGA Tour marked by five caddie changes in the first half of the season. The American golfer, whose last tour victory came 661 days ago, is deploying a detailed, thoughtful approach at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland to reverse his winless drought and regain momentum in a pivotal playoff event.

Morikawa’s 2025 campaign has been turbulent, with disappointing results including missed cuts at several marquee tournaments such as the Zurich Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open, and The Open Championship. His best performances this year rank a distant T23 at the U.S. Open and a T50 at the PGA Championship, underscoring the challenges he has faced. Now ranked 17th in the FedEx Cup standings, Morikawa’s performance at the BMW Championship could be critical in his pursuit of a berth in the season-ending Tour Championship.

Precision and Course Knowledge at the Forefront of Morikawa’s Game Plan

Morikawa’s focus for the BMW Championship hinges on meticulous course management and shot preparation, rather than relying solely on a fresh caddie partnership. At Caves Valley, a demanding 7,500-yard layout noted for its penal rough and subtly contoured greens, the golfer has concentrated on mastering the precise yardages and safe landing zones to navigate the course’s challenges effectively.

Explaining his preparation, Morikawa highlighted the importance of identifying exact distances and angles.

“Like, where’s my left off the tee? Yeah, so you can say down 20 from where we’re tagging it,”

he said. This focus extends to envisioning where the ball should land relative to his position.

“So where’s the 280 line going to? It’s gonna be just left of where he’s sitting. That’s 280 adjusted, is right there.”

He added that walking the entire course allows for better familiarity with the nuances of the greens and rough.

“Just to get accustomed to the shots you’re gonna be hitting, the rough, how it’s gonna be. See where the best spots are, really take in the greens as much as you can.”

By internalizing these details, Morikawa is hoping to build a precise mental map essential to executing under pressure.

The course conditions at Caves Valley present challenges such as firming fairways due to summer heat and expected winds, making accuracy just as critical as power off the tee. Aggressive play can be rewarding if managed well, but the penalty for missing ideal landing areas can be severe on this track.

Partnering with Mark Urbanek to Establish Stability

After a series of five caddie changes—including a surprising split with longtime caddie JJ Jakovac, who had been his partner for five PGA Tour wins—Morikawa has settled on Mark Urbanek for the BMW Championship playoffs. Although the partnership is still new and lacks extensive chemistry, Morikawa is emphasizing consistency and steady play heading into the event.

Discussing specific shot scenarios, Morikawa underscored how approach shots must be carefully judged.

“We’re in the rough, and you have a back pin. I guess it depends on how good the lie is. If it’s a back pin on the right, you can’t really miss that far left. But if you miss right, you’re handcuffed,”

he noted. He further illustrated the necessity of precision on this expansive golf course.

“You hit it through it, and it lands 270. It’ll probably end up right here, driver. You gotta cut one, you pull it a little bit. This is a big golf course, and with all the changes, you gotta be on. There’s no faking around this golf course.”

This careful attention to club selection, pin placements, and shot execution reflects Morikawa’s effort to regain stability amid the season’s fluctuations.

Deliberate Preparation Through Detailed Course Walks

Morikawa’s approach to preparation at Caves Valley is methodical, built on thorough course walks designed to absorb every detail before competition begins. This process is more than just a routine; it is a critical tool he uses to mentally prepare and adapt to the conditions.

“Walking a golf course is sometimes nice to really take in as much as you can.” —Collin Morikawa, Professional Golfer

These walks give Morikawa a chance to study wind shifts, slopes, and green breaks, creating a mental blueprint that guides his play under pressure. It’s a strategy intended to compensate for the turbulence caused by frequent caddie adjustments and the limited time to build rapport with his current caddie.

Despite his early-season strong showing that included a runner-up at the Sentry Tournament in Hawaii, Morikawa has struggled to regain the form that made him one of the PGA Tour’s brightest stars. His split with JJ Jakovac in April marked a turning point that introduced a series of short-lived caddie partnerships before finding Urbanek. Golf analysts, including Gregory Bodine—former caddie to Bryson DeChambeau—have pointed out that long-term success in golf often depends on trust and communication between player and caddie, elements Morikawa is still working to establish.

Comparing Morikawa’s Caddie Changes to Industry Norms

In professional golf, a strong, stable player–caddie relationship can significantly impact a golfer’s consistency and success. Morikawa’s five rapid caddie changes starkly contrast with other top professionals who maintain long-standing partnerships that foster trust and mutual understanding on the course.

For example, Tommy Fleetwood formed a lasting caddie alliance with Ian Finnis after carefully deciding on the change in 2016, following a slump where he missed five cuts in seven weeks. Their partnership yielded seven DP World Tour victories and contributed to Fleetwood’s steady advancement on the PGA Tour.

Similarly, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s relationship with caddie Ted Scott, established in 2021, has been central to his success, including 17 PGA Tour wins and two Masters championships. Their ongoing collaboration is credited with helping Scheffler maintain his position at the top of world golf rankings for over 150 weeks, though Scheffler is facing a rare disruption at the BMW Championship due to a last-minute caddie change.

These examples underscore how lasting caddie–player dynamics enhance communication and decision-making through shared experience, something Morikawa is still striving to achieve with Urbanek in a short timeframe.

Implications and Outlook for Morikawa’s Season

Collin Morikawa’s BMW Championship campaign represents a pivotal moment for his 2025 season. The combination of a new caddie partnership, methodical course preparation, and an acute focus on precision shots at Caves Valley offers a chance to reset after a period of inconsistency and frequent personnel changes.

Should Morikawa find stability with Mark Urbanek and leverage his detailed course knowledge effectively, he could reignite his trajectory towards Tour Championship qualification and a breakthrough victory that has eluded him in the past two years. However, the critical nature of the BMW Championship and the challenges posed by the demanding course and weather conditions mean that this approach will be tested rigorously under pressure.

The golf world will be watching closely to see if Morikawa’s unique strategy and renewed discipline enable him to overcome his recent struggles and return to winning form on the PGA Tour.