Caddie J.J. Jakovac likes to tell one and all that his boss, Collin Morikawa, is an old soul, a man wise beyond his 24 years who is mature and grounded as the day is long and immune to fearing any obstacle at hand.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that the California Kid’s lack of experience playing the ancient and idiosyncratic links of Royal St. George’s and his uncanny ability to handle Sunday pressure and deal with a star-studded leaderboard didn’t throw him in winning the 149th playing of the British Open.
On a day which was the hottest of the summer in the quaint seaside village of southeast England, which led the Open Championship weather officials to declare that the high UV levels would lead to a “high risk of sunburn, possible heat stress or heat stroke,” Morikawa, playing links golf for just the second time of his young career, remained cool in the 80-degree heat and the pressure cooker of a final 18 in a major and added his name to the history books.
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After a scratchy start, Morikawa made three consecutive birdies just before the turn to take a commanding lead, added another red number on the 14th from 20 feet to maintain his advantage and kept the field at bay and his heartrate steady with momentum-sustaining pars saves from 15 feet on the 10th and the 15th to win the Claret Jug in his debut in the oldest championship in golf.
With a final-round, 4-under-par 66, Morikawa finished at 15 under and two shots clear of Jordan Spieth, who was looking to cap his renaissance this year with his first major championship since winning the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale.
While the engraver carved Morikawa’s name onto the Claret Jug, Morikawa etched his name in the record books by becoming the first in the game’s history to win two different majors in his first attempt. Last year, Morikawa closed with a 64 in the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park to win the Wanamaker Trophy, holding off Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day and Tony Finau in the process.
Spieth, who tried to fix his putting in Saturday’s fading light and took his putter back to his residence, got off to a slow start in the final round but charged back with an eagle on the seventh and birdies on the ninth, 10th, 13th and 14th. But he stalled coming home and signed for a 66 to finish at 13 under.
Newly minted U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm came rushing with four consecutive birdies to close with a 66 and finish at 11 under. While he didn’t become the first since Tiger Woods in 2000 to win both the U.S. Open and British Open in the same year, Rahm regained his spot as the world No. 1.
Joining Rahm at 11 under was Louis Oosthuizen, who was trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the Open since Rory McIlroy in 2014. But the 2010 Open champion, who was unflappable through three rounds and took a one-shot lead into the final day, was never on point and lost his lead with a bogey on the par-5 7th hole, which played as the easiest hole in the championship, and could muster just a 71.
Dylan Frittelli, who had missed seven of his last 10 cuts, shot 68 to finish at 9 under. Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka closed with a 65 to get to 8 under, where he was joined by Mackenzie Hughes, who shot 69.
Four players wound up at 7 under, including Dustin Johnson, who shot 67.
With his victory, Morikawa, who has played in just eight majors, joined Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Spieth as the only players in the last 100 years to win multiple majors before turning 25.
It was Morikawa’s fifth PGA Tour title.
from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3eyg4Gh