Collin Morikawa
Name:
Collin MorikawaCountry:
USABorn:
Feb 6, 1997 in Los Angeles, California.Original/Home Club:
La Cañada H.S., CAOccupation:
Professional golferTurned Pro:
2019MAJORS (2): US PGA Championship (2020); The Open (2021). Ryder Cup player (2021). Walker Cup player (2017). Multiple PGA Tour wins. Race to Dubai (European Order of Merit) winner (2021).
From 2015 to 2019 Morikawa enjoyed a very successful collegiate golf career at the University of California, Berkeley. During this time he represented the USA in two Arnold Palmer Cups, a Walker Cup and an Eisenhower Trophy. He was also the world's No.1 ranked amateur for three weeks in 2018.
Turning pro in 2019, Morikawa needed just six professional starts to record his first PGA Tour win. The following year he won again on the Tour, followed a month later by his first major championship title, which came in his debut in the US PGA Championship.
In winning The Open at his first attempt in 2021, Morikawa became the first player since Bobby Jones in 1926 to win two majors in his first eight starts in the majors. Later in 2021 Morikawa was crowned as the first American golfer to win the European Tour's season-long Order of Merit.
Europe
DP World
Played as the DP World Tour Championship (Nov 18-21; last of four Eurpn Tr Rolex Series events in 2021, concluding the season-long Race to Dubai Order of Merit). Second-placed Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng) and Alexander Björk (Swe) finished 3 shots behind Collin Morikawa (USA), who collected $3 million (the biggest prize for a single event in world golf in 2021), and enough points to secure the Race to Dubai title. [Earth course, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE].
Majors
R&A
The Open Championship (149th) (July 15-18). Second-placed Jordan Spieth (USA) finished 2 shots behind 24-year-old Collin Morikawa (USA), who became the first player since Bobby Jones (USA) in 1926 to win his first two majors after just eight starts in the majors. This was Morikawa's debut appearance in The Open; his first major title came in his first appearance in the US PGA Championship in 2020. [Royal St George's GC, Sandwich, Kent].
WGC
WGC / Workday
Played as the World Golf Championships - Workday Championship at The Concession (Feb 25-28). Second-placed Viktor Hovland (Nor), Brooks Koepka (USA) and Billy Horschel (USA) finished 3 shots behind 24-year-old Collin Morikawa (USA). Morikawa became only the second player after Tiger Woods (USA) to win both a major championship and a WGC title before the age of 25 years. [The Concession GC, Bradenton, FL]. Note: tournament moved from Mexico and retitled from WGC - Mexico Championship, due to logistical challenges posed by the global coronavirus pandemic.
Awards
Race to Dubai
24-year-old Collin Morikawa (USA) received the Harry Vardon Trophy and a US$2 million bonus as the European Tour 2021 Order of Merit (Race to Dubai) winner. He accumulated 5856.4 points during the season (points equate to euros won divided by 1000, with Eurpn Tr winnings paid in $ or £ converted to euros). Second was Billy Horschel (USA) with 3716.2 pts, plus bonus of $1,200,000. Third was John Rahm (Esp) with 3402.5 pts, who was ineligible for the third place share of the bonus pool ($700,000), having missed the DP World Tour Championship ... the Tour's final event. Morikawa became the first American to win the European Tour's season-long Order of Merit.
America
Workday
Played as inaugural Workday Charity Open (July 9-12). Collin Morikawa (USA) beat Justin Thomas (USA) with a par at the third playoff hole (par-4 10th), to claim his second PGA Tour win. [Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, nr Columbus, OH]. Note: a one-time event to replace the John Deere Classic, which was not played in 2020 due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
Majors
PGA of America
The US PGA Championship (102nd) (Aug 6-9; postponed from May 14-17 due to world coronavirus pandemic). Second-placed Paul Casey (Eng) and Dustin Johnson (USA) finished 2 shots behind 23-year-old Collin Morikawa (USA), who was playing in just his second major championship. In a closing round 6-under 64, Morikawa drove the green and eagled the short par-4 16th to take the lead. [TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, CA].
America
Barracuda
Played as the Barracuda Championship (July 25-28; modified stableford format). Second-placed Troy Merritt (USA) finished 3 points behind 22-year-old Morikawa (USA), who graduated from college just two months earlier. Morikawa clinched victory with three birdies in the last three holes. [Montreux G&CC, Reno, NV].
Tournaments:
European Tour: 2021 marks the 50th and last season of the world renowned European Tour, launched in April 1972 at the Spanish Open. From 2022 the Tour will be sponsored by Dubai-based global supply chain and ports operator DP World, and will be known as the DP World Tour.
South African Open: December 2021 events in South Africa have again been impacted by the Covid pandemic. The South African Open (Dec 2-5) will no longer be played as a DP World Tour event, and the Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec 9-12) has been cancelled.
Who's Who:
Bernhard Langer: at age 64, Langer collected a record sixth Charles Schwab Cup, the only player to have won the season-long points chase more than twice. He also topped the PGA Tour Champions money-list for the 11th time out of a possible 13 since 2008.
Carlota Ciganda: the five-time Solheim Cup star was delighted to record a fourth Ladies European Tour win in her home national championship, the Ladies Spanish Open.
Lee Elder: Trailblazer, Ryder Cup player, four-time PGA Tour winner and eight-time Senior PGA Tour winner, Lee Elder died on November 28, aged 87. In 1975 he became the first African American golfer to play in the Masters tournament, and in so doing provided one of the pivotal moments in the history of professional golf.
Golf World Top 100: Best Golf Courses in Europe. From France to Spain to the Netherlands and Norway, the Golf World Top 100 panel reveals the places you have to play (published 20 October 2021).
New 27-hole golf complex to be built in southern Belgium
A new golf complex in southern Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg, will start construction in June 2021.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club "makes its tournament debut with the hosting of the Italian Open on the European Tour" by Richard Humphreys
Gamble Sands opens short course:
David McLay Kidd’s 14-hole QuickSands short course has opened for play at Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington.
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