Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa Loses Charles Schwab Challenge on 1st Playoff Hole

Collin Morikawa met heartbreak at Colonial Country Club on Sunday afternoon.

The 23-year-old former Cal star missed critical putts on the 18th hole and on the first playoff hole, and wound up finishing in second place at the $7.5 million Charles Schwab Challenge in the sport's return after three months off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morikawa could have claimed his biggest PGA tour victory by converting a five-footer on the final hole of regulation. When he missed it, he gave Daniel Berger an opening to compete in a playoff.

Morikawa’s tee shot on the first playoff hole — the par-four 17th — went off the fairway to the right, but he rolled his second shot just past the green then made a great third shot to get within about four feet of the hole.

He needed to make that to force a second playoff hole after Berger had parred the hole. But Morikawa’s shot was right of center and rimmed out, giving Berger the $1.35 million winner’s prize.

What a way for the tournament to end.

Collin Morikawa's putt lips out to give @DanielBerger59 the victory.

Golf is hard. 💔 pic.twitter.com/FjWnTgopW8
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 14, 2020

Video courtesy of the Golf Channel

Morikawa's reaction to the miss was understandable. He dropped his head and slumped forward, his hands resting on his knees.

"What happened on the playoff hole was just not a good putt," Morikawa said. "It was firm right and everything that couldn't have happened."

Berger felt empathy afterward for Morikawa.

"It's going to hurt for a little while, but he'll get over it and he'll be winning again," Berger said.

Morikawa, beginning his second season on the professional tour, and Berger each finished 72 holes at 15 under par.

Seeking his second professional victory, Morikawa nonetheless took home the biggest payday of his career, $817,500.

“I had full control,” Morikawa said of his position on the back nine. “It’s going to be a little bittersweet. I know I’m going to have to look back at it before next week and see all the positives, but I’m also going to have to nit-pick what I did wrong. This one bites a little harder.”

Morikawa had the lead to himself after the seventh and 11th holes, but the leaderboard was in constant flux throughout the afternoon.

Berger, a 27-year-old from Plantation, Florida, converted a birdie on the 18th to move to 15-under.

Third-round leader Xander Schauffele avoided what could have been a disaster on the 15th when he made a long putt to salvage a bogey. He then holed a long birdie putt on the 16th to pull even with Morikawa and Berger.

But Schauffele, a 26-year-old from La Jolla, lost the chance to go after his fifth career win when he bogeyed the 17th, dropping one stroke behind the co-leaders.

Morikawa had birdies on the first, fifth and seventh holes and went through the front nine at two-under 33. With a birdie at 11, he had six birdies in eight tries on the two par-5 holes over four days at Colonial.

He trailed Schauffele by one when he chipped out of the bunker on 14 before sinking a long putt to go to minus-15.

Schauffele, Jason Kokrak, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose finished in a four-way tie for third place at minus-14.

Former Cal golfer Byeong-Hun An shot a 74 on Sunday — his worst round of the tournament — and slipped to a tie for 60th place at one-over par.

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

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