Morikawa – iron play

3. Morikawa is the best iron player

on the planet right now. He generally tries to work the ball into the flag on a left-to-right flight, but he also has the ability to hit controlled draw shots when required.

Part of his skill is being able to shape the ball so brilliantly, and also visualising the flight into the flag before each shot. He doesn’t see the ball flying straight – he’s a ‘shaper’.

It’s rare that you’ll see him thrash at the ball – he plays within his power limits. As a result, he delivers the clubhead at a more consistent speed, so his distance control is so much better than most of his rivals. I’d also hazard a guess that he strikes more iron shots off the button.

One of the keys to his centred striking comes down to balance and posture. You don’t see him having to take a little step at the end of his swing. Look at him through impact and his angles – the spine, knee flexion and thighs, and all the way down into his calves – are almost exactly the same as they were at set-up.

He swings well within himself, while his spine angle at impact practically mirrors what it would have been at set-up