Collin keeps on piling them up
Miami – Collin Morikawa (above) continued to solidify his place among the next generation of golf, winning for the third time in eight months, with a victory Sunday at the World Golf Championships’ Workday Championship at The Concession in Bradenton, Florida.
The 24-year-old shot a three-under 69 to finish at 18-under 270 and win by three strokes over Billy Horschel (70), Brooks Koepka (70) and Norway's Viktor Hovland (67).
He won for the fourth time since turning pro in 2019, taking the lead into the final round for the first time in his career.
“It shows that I can come out here and compete, but what a week,” Morikawa said on the NBC broadcast.
“I was working on so much over the past couple of weeks. I got tips from Mark O’Meara and Paul Azinger and it got me through this week. My game felt so good and I'm just so excited right now.”
Scottie Scheffler (68) finished alone in fifth place at 14-under, while South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen (69), Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy (71) and Webb Simpson (72), finished tied for sixth place at 12-under.
After a bogey at the second hole Sunday, Morikawa got his final round on track, going four-under over a stretch of eight holes from five through to 12.
The 2020 PGA Championship winner, who also won an added event at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, last year, never relinquished the lead after moving into the top spot Saturday with a run of six birdies over nine holes.
On a day when some players in the field were wearing red shirts and black pants in honour of Tiger Woods, Morikawa became the only player other than Woods to win a Major title and a WGC event before the age of 25.
Woods was seriously injured in a single-car crash last Tuesday.
“Tiger means everything to me, Thankfully he’s all right and hopefully he has a quick and great recovery,” Morikawa said.
“But I don't think we say ‘thank you’ enough. So, I’m going to say thank you to Tiger. Sometimes you lose people too early. Kobe (Bryant). I lost my grandpa about a month ago...So, thank you guys.”
Players sporting Woods’ usual Sunday red-and-black attire included Tony Finau (14th), McIlroy, Jason Day (T-18), Justin Thomas (T-15) and defending champion Patrick Reed.
Reed shot 72 on Sunday and finished tied for ninth place at 11-under. –