Collin Morikawa plays his shot from the 14th tee during the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park on August 09, 2020 in San Francisco, California.
Playing in just the second major of his career, 23-year-old Collin Morikawa stepped up and hit one of the greatest shots in PGA Championship history that boosted him into a two-stroke lead with two holes to play that he would not surrender.
Morikawa was one of many contenders atop a crowded leaderboard at Harding Park in San Francisco on Sunday when he stepped to the tee on the 16th hole. Morikawa drove his tee shot to seven feet, making the ensuing putt to go from a tie at -11 to in the lead at -13. Morikawa then parred holes 17 and 18 to keep his lead going into the clubhouse.
Morikawa, of Las Vegas, Nevada, had just two total PGA Tour wins going into Harding Park. He had started just one other major, finishing in a tie for 35th at the 2019 U.S. Open. He would have been an unlikely choice to win the PGA, especially starting -2 heading into Saturday, but then shot a 5-under 65 Saturday and closed with a 64 on Sunday to win. In doing so, he became the youngest player to break 65 in the final round of a major tournament victory.
Besides the prestige of a major win, the title could prove valuable to Morikawa when it comes to Olympic qualification. Majors carry more weight toward the Olympic World Golf Rankings that will set the field, and Morikawa will rise to fourth following the win. Plenty of time remains before the rankings close next summer for the postponed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, but Morikawa has already entered that conversation.