Collin Morikawa’s just about two-year winless streak ended resoundingly on Sunday on the Zozo Championship in Japan. He shot 63 within the ultimate around to blow away the sphere whilst beating Eric Cole and Beau Hossler via six strokes each and every.
The 63 was once Morikawa’s very best around of the week, nevertheless it was once additionally his 3rd ranking of 66 or higher over the process the 4 days in Japan. It’s his first win at the PGA Tour because the Open Championship in July 2021, and his first victory anyplace since November 2021.
It didn’t all the time appear as inevitable as this ranking makes it glance.
Morikawa in fact began the day two again of chief Justin Suh however went out in 30 to take hold of a wholesome lead going to the second one 9. He closed with a blank card and a 33 on that facet of the route to cruise to the victory.
“It was incredible,” he stated. “Yeah, it feels improbable. Every win’s so other, and each and every enjoy, whether or not it is profitable or dropping, you be told so much, however this one simply intended the arena.
“Obviously having this kind of two-year drought, you know, just struggling at times, not really contending, to do what I did through this entire week, Thursday, Friday, and then how I started my round yesterday with a double bogey, that’s the golf I miss playing. To see that and to see it again, it’s very exciting kind of just to close out this year and head into next year.”
Morikawa’s play has no longer been as deficient over the past two years as his loss of wins — or on occasion his personal rhetoric — would make it appear. He has 16 (!!) most sensible 10s since his win on the DP World Tour Championship at the DP World Tour in November of that yr and has just about gained a handful of instances. Starting December 1, 2021, he’s No. 4 on this planet in strokes received ball-striking and No. 10 in strokes received total.
He simply hadn’t gained, which is able to ceaselessly be the results of good fortune or circumstance. This six-stroke victory, in many ways, may have been a handful of one-stroke victories.
“They weren’t doubts [about whether I would win again],” he stated. “It wasn’t like I didn’t believe I was going to have another win or whatever, when that was going to happen. It was just more about when it was going to happen, right? I think the thoughts in your head start piling up of like, ‘OK, well, what did I do differently, what do I need to change?’ I think that’s when sometimes people go too far in one direction.
“I have never truly accomplished an excessive amount of, to be truthful. I needed to take two steps again and truly perceive the basis of what made me so forged of a participant, you understand, say in ’19, ’20 and ’21, and I truly did that when we completed [FedEx Cup] Playoffs. Not that I took two steps again, however on occasion you must perceive from an overly fundamental degree of why does your golfing recreation paintings, proper? And I feel I caught to that this week.”
Sometimes golfing, particularly for the most productive gamers, is an workout within the self-discipline of constant to do what they are doing, even if the consequences aren’t there. It takes a believe that they are going to come. It turns out as though this is in the long run what Morikawa landed on with a marginally of swing paintings jumbled together.
Whatever the components, the drought is over and one of the vital very best younger gamers on this planet is primed for what will have to be a captivating 2024 season. It would possibly no longer get all of the consideration, however Morikawa takes some actual momentum into the top of this yr and the start of subsequent as he tries to reestablish himself as in reality one of the vital very best gamers on this planet. Grade: A+
Below are the remainder of our grades for the 2023 Zozo Championship.
T6. Min Woo Lee (-6): Find me anyone who is taking part in higher world golfing presently than my hitter Min Woo. You can not. T5 on the U.S. Open, T9 on the Travelers, T7 on the Irish Open, a win in Macao. OK, perhaps he isn’t the most up to date participant on this planet, however he is such a lot amusing to look at and recently ranked No. 35 within the Data Golf scores, which is 10 spots upper than his Official World Golf Rankings spot of 45. Grade: A
T10. Justin Suh (-5): It was once a tricky ultimate around for final yr’s Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year. He shot 74 to Morikawa’s 63 and dropped from first to just about out of the highest 10. Still, the week was once an encouraging one. Suh did not have a most sensible 10 because the Players Championship in March and were scuffling somewhat slightly because the summer time. This end is helping solidify his spot within the FedEx Cup Fall (as much as No. 77) and will have to give him some actual self assurance going into the following few weeks. Grade: A-
T64. Rickie Fowler (+7): It was once a tricky week for Fowler, who handiest broke par one time over the four-round tournament. He has been respectable however no longer wonderful since his win on the Rocket Mortgage Classic this summer time, and whilst I’m nonetheless most commonly desirous about the path he is headed in, the final two months have given me no less than slightly of pause after that victory in Detroit gave the impression as though it lifted the highest off the protection, so as to discuss, and unfolded the sphere for him to make some noise. Grade: D