Victory at The Open Sends Collin Morikawa to No. 1 in FedEx Cup Rankings, No. 3 in the World

Collin Morikawa is moving up the charts.

Here’s what the 24-year-old Cal alum, coming off his victory at The Open at Royal St. George’s Golf Club, was greeted by on Monday morning:

— He has ascended to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, with the three FedEx Cup playoff events starting one month from today at The Northern Trust, then continuing with the BMW Championship, Aug. 26-29, and the season-ending Tour Championship, Sept. 2-5.

— He is now a career-best No. 3 in the Official World Golf Rankings, up one spot from a week ago and behind only Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson.

— He sits atop the 2021 money leaders, having won $6,950,768. His career earnings now are just a hair under $14 million, and he didn’t turn pro until June of 2019.

Next up for Morikawa is the Tokyo Olympics. The Games begin Friday, but the men’s golf competition runs July 29 through Aug. 1.

“Hopefully I could recuperate over the next week,” Morikawa said Sunday after earning the Claret Jug in Sandwich, England. “The Olympics are the same goal — to win.

"But it’s also to make memories. I’m going to be called an Olympian for life. It’s going to be the coolest experience. It just adds that extra incentive to add something to your resume that not a lot of people have the opportunity to do so. Anytime you have the chance to represent your country it means a lot.”

SELECT COMPANY: In addition to becoming the first golfer to win his debut in two different majors — the PGA and The Open — Morikawa is just the eighth man to win two majors before turning 25.

Here’s the elite crowd he has joined: Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.

"When you make history," Morikawa said, "it's hard to grasp, it's hard to really take it in. ... At 24 years old, it's so hard to look back at the two short years that I have been a pro and see what I've done because I want more.”

TOP-20 IN ALL FOUR MAJORS IN 2021: Morikawa didn’t whiff in any of this year’s four golf majors, finishing among the top-20 in all of them, among the top-10 in three.

Here’s his record in eight career trips to the majors:

2021

The (British) Open: Winner

U.S. Open: Tied 4th

PGA Championship: Tied 8th

The Masters: Tied 18th

2020

U.S. Open: Missed cut

The Masters: Tied 44th

PGA Championship: Winner

2019

U.S. Open: Tied 35th

THE BEST AT ROYAL ST. GEORGE: The Open, in its 149th year, was played at Royal St. George’s for the 15th time. Morikawa’s 15-under score of 265 was the lowest in the history of The Open at that venue.

Here’s a look at the 15 winners at Royal St. George’s, their score and tournament winnings:

1894: John Henry Taylor, England, 326 strokes ($146)

1899: Harry Vardon, Jersey, 310 strokes ($148)

1904: Jack White. Scott, 296 strokes ($243)

1911: Harry Vardon, Jersey, 303 strokes ($243)

1922: Walter Hagen, USA, 300 strokes ($322)

1928: Walter Hagen, USA, 292 strokes ($365)

1934: Henry Cotton, England, 283 strokes ($504)

1938: Reg Whitcomb, England, 295 strokes, ($489)

1949: Bobby Locke, South Africa, 283 strokes ($1,110)

1981: Bill Rogers, USA, 276 strokes ($50,000)

1985: Sandy Lyle, Scotland, 282 strokes ($94,250)

1993: Greg Norman, Australia, 267 strokes ($154,000)

2003: Ben Curtis, USA, 283 strokes ($1,112,720)

2011: Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland, 275 strokes ($1,452,078)

2021: Collin Morikawa, USA, 265 strokes ($2,070,000)

Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Peter van den Berg, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo