Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa Blitzes the Field to Win the WGC-Workday Title by 3 Strokes

Five days after Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car accident, Collin Morikawa joined his idol as the only players under the age of 25 to win both a major and a World Golf Championship event.

The 24-year-old Cal grad was in command all day Sunday, shooting a final-round 69 to win the WGC-Workday Championship by three strokes over a field that included 47 of the world’s top 50 golfers.

Afterward, Morikawa paid tribute to Woods and others who are important to him.

"I don't think we say thank you enough, so I want to say thank you to Tiger." pic.twitter.com/isVg9IJ5zo
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) February 28, 2021

“Tiger means everything to me,” Morikawa said. “Yes, he had the crash and thankfully he’s all right. And hopefully he has a quick and great recovery. But I don’t think we say thank you enough, so I want to say thank you to Tiger.

“Sometimes you lose people too early. Kobe (Bryant last year) . . . I lost my Grandpa about a month ago. You don’t get to say thank you enough, so thank you guys.”

Morikawa’s fourth PGA tour victory on what is regarded as a difficult course at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, was methodical and without great drama on Sunday.

After Morikawa bogeyed the second hole, Billy Horschel briefly pull even at 15 under par through five holes. But Morikawa quickly regained the lead, making birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 to match the two-stroke edge he had after Saturday.

He played flawlessly the rest of the way, without another bogey. He made a tough putt to save par on No. 11 and when he converted his 27th birdie of the tournament on No. 12, he stretched out to a three-stroke advantage.

Morikawa hit the fairway on every drive the rest of the way to avoid serious trouble and no one was able to mount a charge.

“It shows that I came out here and compete,” Morikawa said. “What a week. My game felt so good. I’m just so excited right now.”

The victory was worth $1,820,000, pushing Morikawa's career earnings to more than $9.5 million -- less than two years after graduating from Cal and turning pro.

The reigning PGA Championship winner, Morikawa thrived just a week after struggling with a new putting grip at The Genesis Invitational, which was won by fellow Golden Bear Max Homa.

“I was working on so much the past couple weeks,” Morikawa said. “Tips from Mark O’Meara and Paul Azinger got this week through.”

O’Meara, the 64-year-old who spent nearly 200 weeks in the world top-10 during his career, helped him with his new putting grip.

“Obviously, it’s been a big change to the saw grip that he calls it — not the claw,” he said adding that Azinger, the 1993 PGA winner and a Concession member, gave him valuable advice on chipping. “It just saved my life this week.”

Morikawa’s 72-hole total of 270 included rounds of 70, 64, 67 and 69.

Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka and Horschel finished in a three-way tie for second place at 273. Hovland, who had a quadruple bogey on Friday, closed with rounds of 66 and 67.

Homa, 30, who won on the tour for just the second time last week at The Genesis, finished in a tie for 22nd. He shot a final-round 72 to finish at 6-under 282.

An active contributor to social media, Homa wrote on Twitter that he had hoped to join players on Sunday who wore red and black in tribute to Woods but that his clothing contracts made that impossible.

After substantial pushback online from fans, Homa wrote:

"I mean this with zero hyperbole, this is the weirdest thing I've ever experienced on Twitter lol. I love Tiger more than u guys. Promise. Listen to an interview from last week. Red and black tomorrow doesn't prove that. A lifelong attempt to mimic his approach to the game does.’'

Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Mike Watters, USA Today

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