PGA Championship: Collin Morikawa is golf’s newest young star
By Tim Letcher
Collin Morikawa won the PGA Championship on Sunday at TPC Harding Park. At just 23 years of age, the former Cal Bear is golf’s newest young star.
The game of golf is always looking for its next young star, and Collin Morikawa is now that player. The 23-year-old won the PGA Championship on Sunday, earning his third PGA Tour and his first major championship title in the process.
In doing so, Morikawa joined some pretty exclusive company. He is the ninth player all-time to win the PGA Championship in his first try and the first since Keegan Bradley in 2011.
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Morikawa also joins an elite list of 23-year-old winners of the PGA Championship. That list is: Jack Nicklaus (1963), Tiger Woods (1999) and Rory McIlroy (2012). Now, Morikawa adds his name to that impressive trio.
To be so young, Morikawa played a very mature round of golf on Sunday. He was steady all day long and came up with the big shots when he needed them.
He started with pars on the first two holes before rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 third hole. He followed that with a birdie on the par-5 fourth hole to get to 2-under par.
From there, Morikawa would par out on the front nine to shoot a 2-under par 33 on his front side. He avoided any problems with the tough eighth and ninth holes, which played as the two toughest holes all week at TPC Harding Park.
Morikawa started his back nine with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole to move to 3-under par. After three consecutive pars, he birdied the par-4 14th hole with a chip-in from the front of the green.
He would par the 15th hole before driving the short par-4 16th. He rolled in his putt for eagle to take a lead that he would never relinquish.
Morikawa parred the final two holes, just missing a birdie on the 18th hole to close his round. In just his 29th start on tour, Morikawa won his first major title, the first of many more to come.
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Playing not far from where he played college golf at the University of California, Morikawa looked to be at home all week long, especially on the weekend when he shot 65-64.
The PGA Tour has had its share of young stars through the years and on Sunday, Morikawa established himself as the next star of the game of golf. He now has as many major championships as he does missed cuts in his career. Morikawa is, without question, the game of golf’s next big star.