New star is born in PGA Championship, first Major of 2020

A young 23-year old talent from Los Angeles seemed to just step out of the mist and seize the title during the 102nd edition of the PGA Championship in San Francisco (6-8 August).  He answers to the name of Collin Morikawa.  We’re talking inspirational.  A show of absolute brilliance.  A complete and utter surprise.  The freshly-crowned Major Champion, who was playing in his first PGA Championship, lifted the Wanamaker Trophy and subsequently nearly dropped it during the prize presentation. Thankfully it was his only wobbly moment on the final day at TPC Harding Park.

 

Zero crowds in San Francisco

 

His gracious smile and equally gracious swing had captivated golf fans around the world all week.  After a few words of congratulations from the President PGA of America, Suzy Whaley, the Champion was invited to pick up the huge Wanamaker Trophy.  And that’s when the lid fell off.  Yes, these are unprecedented times.  The Corona pandemic means that tournament organisers have to be continually creative.  Not only did Morikawa win his first Major in front of a ‘zero crowd’ in California, he even had to help himself to the trophy in keeping with COVID-19 safe-distancing measures.

 

This is just what we need right now.  Fresh, young blood to re-energise the game.  Give us hope that one day we’ll get back to some sort of normality in this Coronavirus-stricken year.

 

 

Oh, what a joy it was to see Collin Morikawa (pictured above) tackle the spectacular course at TPC Harding Park.  The way he handled the pressure competing against the ‘big boys’, well surpassed his tender age. Perhaps he was given a helping hand by the lack of spectators.  Tough safety measures due to the Corona pandemic which still grips the world meant that there was a ban on fans at the par-70 public course in California.  But that doesn’t take anything away from the supreme quality of play in this only his second Major tournament.  Morikawa shot rounds of 69, 69, and 65 before closing out with a superb 6-under par 64.

 

Millions of golf fans around the world were glued to the television for what had become the first Major to be played this year.  American Brooks Koepka was going for a PGA Championship hat-trick.  Three consecutive victories – could he pull it off?  Walter Hagen was the last player to do so and that was nearly one hundred years ago!  Hagen actually won four in a row from 1924 to 1927.  Five in total when you include his first victory in 1921.  He was a prolific winner in his day and one of the greatest golfers of all time.

 

Back to 2020

 

There were players around the world who were reluctant to take the risk of sitting on a long-haul flight to the US for the PGA Championship only to then have to sit-out a compulsory two-week quarantine in an hotel in the build-up to the tournament.  It was only when some safety measures were lifted that the players’ field became truly international.

 

Course marshalls and tournament officials, together with the few friends and family of players that were dotted around the course had to wear protective face masks.  I guess that’s something we’re all gradually getting used to by now.

 

However, it wasn’t just the Coronavirus causing ‘code orange’ alarm that week.  As well as living under the threat of new lockdown measures being introduced because of an alarming increase in the number of Corona infections, Europe was in the grip of a sweltering heatwave.  In the build-up to the US PGA Championship in California, the families back home of the likes of Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy were sitting it out in tropical temperatures of 34-35 degrees centigrade.

 

San Francisco wasn’t so sizzling for the first few days of the tournament, or at least not at TPC Harding Park.  In fact, a mist hung over the golf course which meant that temperatures struggled to get into the twenties.  Bizarre – but the golf was hot!

 

   

 

Casey challenges the Americans

 

At the start of play on Sunday, defending champion Koepka was in 4th place on 7-under par along with Morikawa and Englishman Paul Casey, still hungry for his first Major victory.  They were just two shots off the leader, Dustin Johnson.  The laid-back golfer with the lazy swing from South Carolina was sitting pretty comfortable on 9-under par after shooting 69, 67, 65. Two other very on-form Americans, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Champ, were chomping at Johnson’s heels just one shot off the pace.

 

Blistering start to final round

 

‘DJ’ opened his final round with a birdie just like his playing partner Scheffler.  Two holes later, the leader made bogey.  There was now a three-way lead between Johnson, Scheffler and another American, the innovative golfer Bryson DeChambeau.  But where were the other international players?  Well, of the Europeans there were only three with a real chance of snatching the title after 54 holes.  They were three Englishmen: Justin Rose (2013 US Open Champion) together with Paul Casey (-7) and Tommy Fleetwood (-6).

 

 

Collin Morikawa made his charge on the 10th where an eagle putt stayed above ground.  But the tap-in birdie got him to 10-under and so earn him a share of the lead with Johnson (pictured above) and Casey.  The leaderboard was like the Derby behind them with an abundance of players jostling for pole position.  There were 12 players on 8-under at this point with another four players a shot further behind.  Just one missed putt from the leaders or a birdie from the chasing pack and the leaderboard would be turned upside down. Within a few minutes Cameron Champ had joined the leaders.  The first Major of the year was really hotting up.

 

A race to the finish

 

Then, out of the blue, a new name appeared at the top of the leaderboard: Matthew Wolff with the rather ‘curly wurly’ swing became leader in the clubhouse at 10-under par.  Another American, Tony Finau, then birdied 13 and 14 to get to 10-under for a six-way tie for the lead.  The race was on.

 

Morikawa then made a beautiful chip-in at 14 for birdie to take the outright lead for the first time on 11-under.  Five players nestled in his shadow just one stroke behind, yet the young pro, playing in only his second Major, simply oozed calmness.  Could he defy the odds and walk off with the title?  Forty-three year old Englishman Paul Casey had other ideas.  A birdie at 16 saw him draw even with Morikawa.

 

Morikawa makes eagle to take outright lead

 

Not long after, Morikawa drove the 274-yard 16th with a superb tee-shot.  Then, cool as a cucumber, holed a two-foot putt for eagle.  The outright lead was his again by two.  All he needed to do now was stay calm down the last two holes and take his time.

 

At the 18th hole, they were greeted by a gentle ripple of applause from the handful of friends and officials assembled around the final green.  As solid as a rock, Morikawa then made a great putt for birdie which alas just slipped past the hole, but it was good enough.  The 23-year old from Los Angeles, who only turned pro last year, tapped-in for a closing round of 64 to seize the Wanamaker Trophy two shots ahead of Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey who finished in a tie for second place.  

 

With this victory, Collin Morikawa has become only the ninth player ever to win the PGA Championship in his tournament debut.  American Keegan Bradley was the last player to do so in 2011.  As well as being presented with the huge and prestigious Wanamaker Trophy, Morikawa takes home a whopping great cheque for $1,980,000.

 

     

 

 

Many, many congratulations to you Collin Morikawa!  How does it feel to be the PGA Champion for 2020?  You emerged from out of the mist in California to steal our hearts with your brilliant golf and gracious smile.  You are just the inspiration we all need right now – a victory to soothe and improve our Corona-fatigued morale!  May you enjoy a long and illustrious career.

 

Wendy Hoad

 

 

CHECK OUT the Official Final Scoreboard HERE

 

Nice to know …

Historical victory:  Collin Morikawa has become only the fourth player to win the USPGA in the strokeplay era before the age of 24 after Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

 

Home victory: Collin Morikawa’s victory at TPC Harding Park was pretty well a home win as he played collegiate golf at the University of California, Berkeley from 2015-2019.  

 

The cut: 79 players made the cut which fell at +1.

 

Still searching: Englishman Paul Casey was playing in his 63rd Major at TPC Harding Park.  The US PGA title eluded him but he secured his best finish ever in a Major – tied 2nd with Dustin Johnson on 11-under.

 

Plus one makes 10:  Paul Casey had his 10th career top-10 finish in a Major at TPC Harding Park.

 

Quatre:  Bryson DeChambeau had his best finish ever in a Major – a well-earned share of 4th place in his 14th Major Championship.    

 

Elbow ticking is fast-becoming the new norm on the golf course instead of high-fives due to Corona safety measures.

 

All part of the game:  There were Canadian geese in abundance on the fairways, no doubt due to the absence of fans.  This resulted in a ‘lucky layer’ having to be removed from the ball at times. 

 

Hat-trick disappointment: Brooks Koepka was heading for a hat-trick in the PGA Championship but finished with a lack-lustre round of 74 to crash down the leaderboard for a share of 29th place (-3).

 

Third time unlucky for DJ:  In the last five Majors, Dustin Johnson has been runner-up three times.

 

The impossible dream? Who would have thought that a young second year professional called Collin would do the impossible in his debut appearance in the US PGA Championship? OK, maybe his Mum and Dad in their wildest dreams believed it may be possible one day – in ten years’ time perhaps.  But not in 2020!  Then again, he was a former World Number One Amateur Golfer.  After which he began his PGA Tour career with 22 consecutive straight cuts!  Only Tiger Woods has done better (25). 

 

And finally, please remember: The newly-crowned US PGA Champion, Collin Morikawa has two Ls and one R in his name.  Well worth remembering because we’re going to be hearing a lot more from this inspirational young player …

 

 

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH:  Collin Morikawa with the Wanamaker Trophy – just!  ABOVE CENTRE: Collin Morikawa; CENTRE: Dustin Johnson; MINI’S (below):  Paul Casey, Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Champ. BELOW: Collin Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Champion.