Collin Morikawa Prevails At Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Golf has a funny way of humbling even the most talented ball-strikers on the planet. One minute you’re on top of the world, hoisting major trophies and looking untouchable. The next, you’re grinding through a two-and-a-half-year dry spell, watching your world ranking slip from No. 2 down to No. 19, wondering when the putts will start dropping again.
For Collin Morikawa, that long, quiet stretch finally ended on Sunday. In a round that felt less like a Sunday stroll and more like a survival test against “Mother Nature,” Morikawa navigated the wind, the rain, and a surging leaderboard to capture the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am title. It was his first PGA Tour victory since the Zozo Championship in October 2023, and judging by the relief on his face after that final tap-in, this one meant just a little bit more.
Morikawa Battles the Elements and the Field
Sunday at Pebble Beach started with the kind of weather that makes amateur golfers stay in the clubhouse. The wind was whipping, the rain was coming down sideways, and the course, already softened by a week of damp conditions, was playing long.
But just as the weather began to turn, giving way to unexpected afternoon sunshine, Morikawa turned up the heat. He wasn’t alone at the top, though. Standing on the 15th tee, he was deadlocked in a four-way tie for the lead. The pressure was suffocating.
That’s when the two-time major champion reminded everyone why he’s one of the best iron players in the game. On the 15th, he drained a 30-foot uphill putt to break out of the pack. He followed that up on the 16th by sticking an approach shot to eight feet, and burying the birdie to open up a two-shot cushion.
It looked like a coronation walk from there, but Pebble Beach always has one last trick up its sleeve. A bogey on the par-3 17th cracked the door open just as Min Woo Lee was posting a 21-under in the clubhouse. Suddenly, Morikawa needed a birdie on the iconic par-5 18th to avoid a playoff.
His second shot found the greenside rough. The lie wasn’t great. The nerves had to be frying. But Morikawa stepped up and played a delicate chip to within 18 inches of the cup. He tapped in for a final-round 67, a 22-under total, and a victory that felt like an exorcism of the last few frustrating seasons.
Scheffler’s Historic Round Puts Pressure On Morikawa
While Morikawa was fighting to close the door, the current king of the golf world was trying to kick it down. Scottie Scheffler, the World No. 1, didn’t just have a good round; he had a historic one.
Scheffler started the day nine shots back, a deficit that usually means you’re playing for pride and a decent check. Instead, Scheffler went into video game mode. He carded three eagles in a single round—on the 2nd, the 6th, and the 18th. It was the first time anyone had managed three eagles in a round at this tournament since 1983.
Scheffler made over 150 feet worth of putts, firing a 63 to finish at 20-under. “I had to do something special today to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said afterward. “So I was playing more aggressively than maybe I normally do.”
It was a reminder that even when he’s “out of it,” Scheffler is never really out of it. His T3 finish extended his streak of top-10s to 18 in a row, but on this Sunday, his heroics were just the opening act for Morikawa.
A Double Celebration For the Morikawa Family
The trophy wasn’t the only thing Morikawa was celebrating on Sunday evening. In the glow of the victory, he dropped another bombshell: he and his wife are expecting their first child. It adds a layer of beautiful context to the win. Perhaps the perspective of impending fatherhood helped settle the nerves over those final few holes. Or maybe he just wanted to make sure the kid came into the world with a fresh trophy on the shelf.
Golf is a game of confidence, and for a while, Morikawa looked like he was searching for his. But at Pebble Beach, amidst the chaotic weather and the charging competitors, he found it again. He weathered the storm and proved that class is permanent, even if form is temporary.
The drought is over. Morikawa is back. And if Sunday was any indication, the rest of the tour should be worried.
