This week’s golf legends profile is the two-time major championship winner, Collin Morikawa, so before you go ahead and place your bets at top-rated sportsbooks, let’s dive into the key milestones of his career.
Morikawa Made a Huge Initial Impact
Collin Morikawa wasted no time during his introduction to professional golf, bringing his huge reputation for being an exceptional iron player during his collegiate days straight onto the fairways of the PGA Tour.
Morikawa won his first PGA Tour event, the 2019 Barracuda Championship on his sixth start as a pro, then in 2020 he built on that further winning the 2020 PGA Championship, his first major championship on what was only his twenty-eighth professional start.
That natural upswing continued in 2021 through to winning the Open Championship, at Royal St. Georges in Southern England which was amazingly his debut over in Great Britain in the claret jug event.
How It All Began
Collin Morikawa had an elite collegiate record during his formative golf years at Berkeley, winning on five occasions including the esteemed Pac-12 Conference Championship in 2019. Morikawa also won four big amateur events across the country while also representing the United States in the Walker Cup and Eisenhower Trophy. Morikawa also reached world #1 in the amateur rankings for a few weeks in 2018.
The Downswing!
After his amazing impact on professional golf with his two major championship wins in his first fifty professional starts, it seemed inevitable that Morikawa would suffer some kind of slump and indeed that hit him hard after the Open Championship win.
It became jarringly obvious his putting was in trouble and undermining his strong tee-to-green game and with his confidence decreasing on the greens, it is understandable his results took a hit.
How’s It Going Now for Collin?
At the end of 2023, Collin Morikawa took the brave decision to cordially leave the mentorship of his one and only golf coach from his junior days, Rick Sessinghaus and move to the respected tutelage of Mark Blackburn. There were immediate results and an uplift for Morikawa when he won the Zoso Championship in Japan at the end of the year.
The good work continued in 2024, which has been a very consistent year for Collin Morikawa though I am sure he is feeling a little frustrated to have not converted several good chances to win during the year. Morikawa also parted ways with Blackburn before the Masters explaining that he, was in transition, saying,
“When I went to Mark and Mark is amazing, one of the most knowledgeable people in the golf world I’ve ever met, I learned a lot, but I figured out quickly that for me it’s not really knowing more, it’s remembering who I was,”
His putting stats have improved markedly from a career low in 2022 and 2023, and that confidence increase will be a huge plus moving forward as it had become a glaring weakness that was badly undermining his elite ball striking.
The one area of his game that has regressed slightly is his approach play to the greens which has dropped twenty places to #41, but that is barely a problem and one Morikawa will be expecting to rectify in the coming months.
Nevertheless, seven top 10 finishes in eighteen events in 2024 is hugely encouraging especially with the added context that fourteen of the eighteen events have resulted in a top 25 finish, consolidating his position in the highest echelons of the game.
Some pundits argue his lack of length is a problem at the highest level, but his game remains perfectly suited to major championships, illustrated by 3rd at the Masters and 4th at the PGA Championship and whenever he tees it up at a track of exacting tee-to-green test of skill Morikawa will never be far away.
What Does the Future Hold for Collin Morikawa?
2024 has been a very solid season for Collin Morikawa and one that will have stabilized his confidence. His elite ball striking remains as solid as ever and the improved performances can be traced back to a noticeable refinement in his putting that sees him ranked #67 from #114 in 2023.
Should his confidence with the flatstick continue to grow then the golfing world will be Collin Morikawa’s oyster again, and not only with more PGA Tour wins but we can expect this elite performer to be adding to his major championship tally.
