Ex-Cal Teammates Inspired by Collin Morikawa But Unsurprised by His Success

James Song, who was a freshman on the Cal golf team in 2019 when Collin Morikawa was a senior, said his now-famous teammate’s maturity level was a source of wonder among the younger guys on the team.

“We had this running joke that he was a 40-year-old in a 20-year-old body. He’s just always acted beyond his age,” Song said. “Even when he was in college, it seemed like he was always in control, on and off the golf course. He always knew what to say and what to do.”

Finigan Tilly, who will be a graduate student at Cal in the fall, played two seasons with Morikawa. He watched on TV as his former teammate survived every challenge in Sunday’s final round to win The Open at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in England.

Tilly saw the same composure he recalls in the collegiate version of Morikawa.

“I haven’t been in a situation like that before but I’ve been in tournaments where you’re coming down the stretch and there’s a lot of pressure on you,” Tilly said. “I can only imagine how much pressure it is being in the final group of a major on Sunday.

“He just looked so relaxed and composed, just like he does in any round of golf. I think that’s one thing he’s so good at, and that’s playing every round the same way.”

Song said he and his teammates are inspired by watching Morikawa.

“A big part of that is he was one of us,” Song explained. “I just saw good ol’ Collin out there. Same ball striking I’m used to, same composure that I’ve seen so many times. His putting got a lot better.

“It’s cool to see something I’ve seen so may times in person, watch it on TV and watch him beat up on all these guys now on tour.”

Neither Tilly nor Song anticipated Morikawa would have five tour victories, including two wins at majors, in barely 25 months on the tour. But neither is shocked that he’s finding success.

“I’m actually not that surprised,” Tilly said. “He’s the best golfer I’ve ever played with and he’s so consistent and solid and mentally strong.”

“We all knew he was going to come out and do some unbelievable things,” Song added. “I can’t say I expect this. I don’t think anyone expected this. But I’m definitely not surprised.

“We all expected him to do well on the tour because we’d seen his game. His game’s special. Collin’s ball striking is on a different level than anyone out there.”

Both Cal players say Morikawa was a great teammate, who worked hard, was a good leader and was constantly looking for ways to improve his game, even while posting a career collegiate 69.78 stroke average.

“Even like me, l was a freshman then, a kid that just came out of high school,” Song said. “If he saw me do something well, he would not hesitate to ask me, `What’d you do here?’ That’s one of the biggest parts of him and how he would always try to improve himself.”

Song said getting the best of Morikawa, either in a tournament or while just playing little games during practice, was nearly impossible.

“I beat him twice,” he said. “I remember both times very vividly and I’ll never forget about them.”

Tilly echoed those sentiments and credits Morikawa’s ability to mesh ambition with work ethic.

“You could see that his goals were almost unattainable . . . he was shooting for the sky,” Tilly said.

And now that he’s starting to reach those heights?

“He’s just such an inspiration to us,” Tilly said. “We all look up to him and we want to be more like him. It’s just cool to know that most of the older guys on the team have played with him for a couple years so we’ve seen what it takes.”

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

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