Collin Morikawa came to Japan this week with the simple goal of ending his winless drought in the country where his father’s parents grew up and cruised to a six-stroke victory with a bogey-free 7-under 63 on Sunday to win the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship.
“It feels so good,” Morikawa said. “I knew I was going to get here at some point but it’s like getting your first win or major. People start asking questions and asking why. I had to really look back and ask myself what’s wrong? What’s the why? What’s the reason behind finishing second or fifth versus a win? This win means the world.”
He claimed his sixth Tour title and first since the 2021 British Open. For Morikawa to do so at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan, 25 minutes northeast of Tokyo, meant a great deal to the 26-year-old of Japanese (father’s side) and Chinese descent (mother’s side).
“I knew at the beginning of the week that the fans out here are obviously rooting for the Japanese players, but I like to count myself as a part Japanese player in that, so I felt the love,” he said.
ZOZO: Prize money | Winner’s bag
It had been 27 months since he hoisted a trophy, just under 24 months since the former Cal Bear notched his last worldwide victory at the 2021 DP World Tour Championship. Morikawa had recorded four runner-up finishes since his last trophy – including at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July – and 14 top-10s, tied with Tommy Fleetwood for the most top-10 finishes during the last two seasons.
No better feeling. Thanks for all the support 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/eDBe7ZwOTM
— Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) October 22, 2023
Speaking on the eve of the tournament during a press conference, Morikawa said, “Here’s one last chance for the season to kind of come off and finish off on a high note. I know what my goal is and I know what I want to do and accomplish this week is really just stand up and find a way to win.”
Morikawa grabbed the lead on Thursday with a 64 but struggled to 73 in strong winds on Friday. After starting 3 over through four holes on Saturday, Morikawa trailed by as many as nine strokes before rallying with birdies on five of his last six holes to shoot 66.
Two shots back heading into Sunday, Morikawa said his mindset for the final round would be to get off to a hot start and he did just that. Morikawa made birdies at the third and three of the last four holes on the front nine to shoot 30 and build a three-stroke lead at 11 under as Justin Suh, who held his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, chunked a chip at the fourth and made his second straight bogey. He stumbled to a final-round 74. Beau Hossler and Eric Cole, who played alongside Suh in the final group, faltered as well. Morikawa tacked on a birdie at No. 12, holing a 15-foot putt, and at 15 and 18 to play his final 24 holes in 12 under. No one mounted a charge as Morikawa posted a 72-hole total of 14-under 266. Cole and Hossler both made birdies at the last to shoot 70 and tied for second, a stroke better than Robby Shelton (65) and Ryo Ishikawa (67).
“The game felt very good,” Morikawa said. “Everything kind of clicked.”
Morikawa, who won twice in his first eight starts in the majors, had dipped from second in the Official World Golf Ranking to No. 20 during his winless drought but managed to make the Tour Championship as one of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup the last two seasons and represent the U.S. in both the Presidents and Ryder Cups. He complained that he lost his trademark fade that removed the left side of the course from play but his version of a slump still was the equivalent of what most pros would call a banner season.
For Morikawa, it was a learning experience that appears will only make him stronger in the years to come. Speaking at the Tour Championship in August about what he’s taken away from the last two seasons, he said, “I just love golf. I mean, it’s been frustrating, but I truly love it. Because when you’re in positions like this, when you’re able to put yourself in contention, whether it’s one round or two rounds or four rounds, that I just, I know I love being in these positions.”
Especially when he comes out on top as he did in impressive fashion at the Zozo Championship.
