Collin Morikawa claimed his 1st Major Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. In winning the 2020 US PGA Championship, Morikawa became the 9th player to win the US PGA on his debut, the first golfer since Keegan Bradley did so in 2011.
Morikawa’s final round of 64 (-6) was enough to fend off the chasing pack including Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey by 2 shots. The highlight of the round came on the par-4 16th. After a sensational drive, where Morikawa drove the green, he was able to hold his nerve and convert his eagle putt from less than 10 feet. This got him to -13 which was enough to secure his first major against an elite leaderboard which saw the likes of Matthew Wolff, Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Justin Rose all finishing in the top 10.
Since turning pro in 2019, Collin Morikawa has enjoyed a very fast start. Nothing up 3 PGA Tour victories, 2 2nd place finishes and 9 Top-10 finishes. He also enjoys a rare accolade where after 29 events played, he’s made 27 cuts. With 3 PGA Tour victories, he’s now won more times than missed the cut, something few golfers will enjoy given the leap that is often made between an amateur joining the pro ranks.
2020 has been a stand out year for Morikawa, particularly since the PGA Tour season restart. In the 7 tournaments since June, he has enjoyed a 2nd place in The Charles Schwab Challenge, 1st at The Workday Charity Open and US PGA Championship. These victories and solid results has seen him claim 1400 FedEx Cup points in these three results alone, leaving him now 2nd on The FedEx Cup list.
Early Life, Amateur Career and College Golf
Born on 6th February 1997 in Los Angeles, California. Morikawa is the son of Debbie and Blaine Morikawa. His amateur golf career peaked in 2018 as he reached the mantle as the number 1 amateur golfer in the world.
Morikawa’s amateur golf accolades included a host of college wins while playing for the University of California, Berkley and the Western Junior and Northeast Amateur. Having studied at university during 2015 – 2019, Morikawa was able to win no less than 5 times as well as represent the United States in some of the marquee amateur events. These included The Arnold Palmer Cup Team in 2017 and 2018, The Walker Cup in 2017 which was played at Los Angeles Country Club, and The Eisenhower Trophy in 2018 which is considered The World Amateur.
Morikawa’s Golfing Records
• At The 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, Morikawa was paired with Tiger Woods, in doing so, he was the 1st golfer to have played with Tiger on the PGA Tour who was born after the 14-time Major Champion had turned pro
• Morikawa made 22 consecutive cuts on The PGA Tour after turning pro. This is second only to Tiger Woods who managed 25 after turning pro.
• His Major Win at Harding Park was just his second start in a Major. It was also a debut win in the US PGA Championship.
• His 1st Major win saw Morikawa top the stats on Proximity to Hole, Driving Accuracy and Strokes Gained Putting.
• His closing rounds of 65 and 64 (129) is the lowest final 36 holes in major history.
• He joins Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus who won their first US PGA Championship at the age of 23.
With a bright future ahead of this hugely talented golfer, Collin Morikawa looks set to set more golfing records and assume the mantle of one of the world’s best golfers.
Your Golf Travel host and organise a wide variety of golf tournaments including The US PGA Championship. For more information on these packages, similar visit our Tournaments Section of the website.
