Collin Morikawa was unfortunate not to pick up his second PGA Tour victory this week in the Charles Schwab Challenge when he missed a three-foot putt to lose to Daniel Berger in the playoff.
The 23-year-old has now made his first 21 cuts as a professional on Tour, the longest streak of a newcomer since Tiger Woods who began his career with 25 consecutive cuts made.
This runner-up finish was bizarre for Morikawa because it’s actually the third time he has finished second at Colonial. While at the University of California-Berkeley, Morikawa was a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award in 2018 and ’19. The award is given to the nation’s top collegiate golfer by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Last year, he lost to Viktor Hovland, and in ’18 he finished behind Doug Ghim.
When asked to compare his three near-misses at Colonial, it wasn’t even a competition.
“I’d say this one (is the hardest). This one I had full control. It’s going to be a little bittersweet,” Morikawa said. “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 week. It’s going to be something I just have to figure out. But this one bites a little harder.”
He already has a win at the Barracuda Championship last summer and looks destined for great things in the sport. He has risen to 27th in the world and has put himself in a great position to be a part of the US Ryder Cup team in September.
Here’s how people have complimented him on social media:
Collin Morikawa is the best iron player since Tiger.
— Andy Johnson 🍳 (@the_woke_yolk) June 12, 2020
First 21 professional events:
Collin Morikawa: 21 cuts made, 1 win, 7 top 10s
Justin Rose: 0 cuts made, 0 wins, 0 top 10s— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) April 29, 2020
“Are you kidding?” @Collin_Morikawa ties the lead from 5️⃣0️⃣ FEET!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/2gP951BH9d
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 14, 2020
Collin Morikawa is the brightest young talent on Tour, and he’s 174th in SG: Putting.
On Sunday, he had three misses inside 6 feet.
He’s made his first 21 cuts as a pro. He’s already a winner. With even average putting, imagine what he’s capable of:
pic.twitter.com/lpAI8YwrVJ— Nick Menta (@NickMentaGC) June 14, 2020