Collin Morikawa Breaks Top 15 in Official World Golf Ranking
Graduating from the Haas School of Business at Cal just last year, Collin Morikawa has made quite the name for himself in professional golf. After claiming his second PGA Tour win on Sunday, Morikawa joins Tiger Woods as one of only two players in PGA Tour history to win his second tournament before missing his second cut. A stunning playoff victory at the Workday Charity Open has Morikawa ranked 13th in the Official World Golf Ranking, and he has more wins (two) than missed cuts (one).
Morikawa’s win at Muirfield Village was a nail-biter, a comeback that required really clutch shots. Trailing by three strokes to start the final round, Morikawa would take the lead then trailed Justin Thomas by three shots going into the final three holes. He put together a series of impressive shots to force the playoff against Thomas, and that’s where the fun began. Pouring a tantalizing 50-foot bender for birdie in the first playoff hole, Thomas appeared to have won the tournament. Watch:
Calm and collected-like, Morikawa hit a 25-footer extending the playoff with a birdie of his own.
The next hole was executed well by Thomas and Morikawa, both parring to extend it to a third playoff hole. That’s when Thomas missed his tee shot to the right and got blocked by a tree, leading to a bogey five. With four shots, Morikawa finally ended the tournament and sealed his second PGA title. "Amazing," Morikawa said when asked how he would sum up the day to someone who only saw the result.
When the latest Official World Golf Ranking was released the next day, Morikawa saw his standing jump 16 spots from No. 29. That put him one spot ahead of Tiger Woods. In just 24 pro starts, he moved all the way up from No. 1,039 to No. 13. Wow.
Morikawa has been great this year, losing the Charles Schwab Challenge in a heart-breaking playoff just a month ago. The latest win ties him for most PGA Tour victories by a former Golden Bear, with James Hahn who graduated in 2003 and won his second in 2016. Thursday Morikawa will take the field of the Memorial Tournament, surprisingly at the same venue as the Workday Charity Open. He is resting in his hotel, ready to continue his young, impressive career.