The 23-year-old came out on top of a packed leaderboard at Harding Park

Written By: JAKE GEIGER

Collin Morikawa birdied the 18th hole on Saturday at the 2020 Professional Golf Assocation (PGA) Championship to shoot 65 for the round and ignite some momentum heading into the final Sunday.

Starting the day, the 23- year old phenom was two shots back of then-leader Dustin Johnson. Morikawa would go on to shoot 64 on Sunday to win his first ever major at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California.

Morikawa’s overall score of 129 on Saturday and Sunday marked the lowest closing 36- hole total score in golf major history.

Morikawa joins Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win their major championship at the age of 23. It was also just Morikawa’s second
major ever, as he tied for 14th at the 2019 U.S. Open.

This PGA Championship was one of the more exciting majors in recent memory. At
one point on the back nine on Sunday, there were seven golfers tied for the lead or
within one shot.

Many players had an opportunity to receive a historic victory, and Morikawa did just that. His two-under front nine had him right in contention, but a few shots solidified Morikawa’s exceptional weekend.

On the 14th hole, Morikawa chipped in from about 55 feet to take the lead at 11 under. Runner-up Paul Casey would soon tie Morikawa.

However, hole 16 at TPC Harding Park played short on Sunday, as the pin was just 336 yards from the tee. Morikawa decided to choose a driver and attack the pin. He hit a beautiful cut that rolled onto the green and was just 7 feet from the pin.

Morikawa would then sink the putt to record an eagle and take a two-shot lead to win the tournament. “Never lay up. Why not hit a great driver? Why not hit that little left-to-right shot with the wind helping off the left?” Morikawa said to reporters about his
approach on the 16th hole.

The win at TPC Harding Park on Sunday was Morikawa’s third of his young career and second of the season. He recently beat Justin Thomas in a three-hole playoff to win
the Workday Charity Open in July. He also won the 2019 Barracuda Championship.

Morikawa’s aggressive approach throughout the tournament was the key that helped him win him the Wanamaker trophy and likely his first of many major golf championships.