Collin Morikawa makes records with Open win after dramatic very last round
Collin Morikawa
(CNN)Collin Morikawa received the Open golfing tournament on Sunday, completing shots in advance of Jordan Spieth.
The 24-year-old came into the final day of the foremost a shot in the back of Louis Oosthuizen, however a
run of 3 immediately birdies at the lower back 9 helped propel the yank past the South African, who had
crowned the leaderboard over the event’s preceding 3 days.
Morikawa produced some steady and incredible golf at Royal St George’s in Kent, UK, to preserve off the
continually demanding situations of Spieth, Oosthuizen, and Jon Rahm and finish 15-beneath par on what
was an enthralling day of golfing at the well-known important.
In his first appearance on the British important, Morikawa became the first guy to win both the PGA
Championship and the Open on his debut at the tournaments.
Just over years ago, Morikawa turned into ranked 1,039th within the global having completed tied for
14th at the RBC Canadian Open in June 2019. Now he’s a two-time predominant winner.
Afterward, Morikawa stated he’s no longer done prevailing majors yet.
“At 24 years old, it is so tough to look returned at the 2 brief years that I have been seasoned and notice
what I’ve completed due to the fact I need greater.
I revel in these moments and I love it, and I need to teach myself to embody it a bit greater, perhaps spend
a few more days and take a seat lower back and drink out of this,” he informed the media.
“however I just want great.
Whilst you’re in these moments and also you without a doubt love what you do, which I love playing
golfing and competing against those guys, are the fine moments ever because the nerves push you to
simply be a better individual.”
Looking confident Heading into the final day of movement, it turned into almost not possible to choose a
winner between Oosthuizen, Morikawa, and Spieth.
Despite having a shot gain, Oosthuizen has evolved an unlucky dependency of failing at the ultimate
hurdle over the latest years.
And so it proved, with bogeys on the front nine losing the South African down the leaderboard.
Morikawa pounced to take benefit, coming up with 3 immediately birdies to close out the returned nine
that gave him a 4-shot lead before moments later, a birdie from Spieth decreased the distance to three.
It became by no means plane cruising for the Yankee.
If in a single day chief Oosthuizen dwindled over the very last 18 holes, 3-time main winner Spieth
appeared again to his fine as he made a run on the top of the leaderboard.
The 27-year-old American’s putter was crimson-hot and his chipping smart as he recovered from some
early setbacks to position a little pressure on Morikawa.
Oosthuizen did produce one second of magic, hitting the flag on the difficult par-three 11th hole, just
millimeters from a memorable hole-in-one.
In the meantime, reigning US Open champion Rahm changed into putting collectively his own push for the
coveted Claret Jug.
An eagle at the seventh hole and a run of four straight birdies at the lower back 9 shot him up the
leaderboard and had the 26-yr-old Spaniard dreaming of a 2d successive major.
But Morikawa turned into unfazed.
Regardless of his youthfulness and relative lack of revel in at majors — he is best performed in seven
earlier than this weekend — Morikawa flippantly noticed off his opponents.
Morikawa celebrates after a putt at the 14th green in the course of his final spherical of the Open.
He stored his using correct, his iron pictures unique and his placing crisp as he handled each undertaking
the problematic Royal St George’s path may want to offer.
And below the blinding English solar as the UK experienced a mini-heatwave, Morikawa turned into
capable of faucet home the historic putt on the 18th hollow to be topped the 149th Open champion.
The Yankee is the first participant to win the Open on his debut due to the fact that Ben Curtis in 2003 at
Royal St. George’s.
Morikawa also has become the second player to win the Open and the PGA Championship earlier than the
age of 25 — the only different golfer to have carried out that feat is Tiger Woods.
After sinking the prevailing putt, he said that despite the fact that he can also have outwardly appeared
calm, his nerves have been jangling.
“I’m happy I look calm due to the fact the nerves are honestly up there. But you channel those nerves into
exhilaration and power, and that puts you far away from like a worrying aspect into this is something I need.
“mainly as the ones, ultimate nine holes were coming in.
Jordan turned in to making birdies; I think Rahm became pushing; Louis had a birdie on eleven, a splendid birdie.
You can’t worry approximately the score. I needed to worry about each shot.
Can I execute every shot to the quality of my ability? Some we did, some we failed to, and then you flow on.
We cannot manipulate what’s going to manifest, what has passed off.
So I really checked out that as just recognition on each shot, how do I see what’s the pleasant shot
possible, and try to do my excellent from there.”
Near but no longer enough For Morikawa’s opponents, it became a case of close, but no cigar.
Oosthuizen, who won the Open in 2010, has now completed runner-up or tied 2nd at six exceptional majors.
And this week, notwithstanding completing atop the leaderboard for 3 quarters of the Open, he dwindled
within the very last spherical once more.
For one of the maximum liked players in golfing, it became heartbreak another time as the South African
finished tied for third.
As for Spieth, who turned into trying to find his first predominant victory in view that 2017 after a long
spell with a few struggles, the yank showed that he’s a force to be reckoned with once more.
Spieth changed into brilliant in all components of his recreation, carving up the course as he put pressure
on his compatriot Morikawa.
Spieth reacts to the inexperienced of the 18th hole on day 4 of the Open.
However, Spieth believes it changed into the putting that ultimately allows him down.
“My setting is not in which I need to be in any respect. I say at all,” he informed the media afterward.
“it is progressing the right course, but it is no longer wherein it’s been.
“and I recognize what desire to do to get there, and it is simply very hard to do.
However it’s rounded like these days or this week, principal championship rounds, where you have to
obviously test not most effective your contact out right here, but additionally quite a few knobs and
breaking putts and consider strains.
“I simply wasn’t extraordinarily sharp with the putter this week.
I was sharper than I used to be at Augusta, and it is been a touch bit form of here and there this year.
My horrific weeks were okay and my correct weeks are honestly good, but I had to install a few paintings
trying to almost get a strong couple hundred to 500 putts in among the day prior to this’s finish to the
latest round to assume that I should exit and hopefully go stroke sufficient to win.”
It wasn’t pretty sufficient on Sunday as Morikawa was able to keep on to be topped
The Champion Golfer of the 12 months.
Due to the win, Morikawa movements to No. 1 in the FedExCup and No. 3 inside the global ratings.
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Collin Morikawa makes history with Open win after a dramatic final round
