Morikawa Secures Zozo Championships Victory After 27-Month Drought
Collin Morikawa triumphs at Zozo Championships, ending his title dry spell. Historic Japanese presence in the top 10.
Collin Morikawa ended his 27-month title drought by clinching his sixth PGA TOUR victory at the Zozo Championship, marking a historic moment with a commanding final-round score of 63. Morikawa, aged 26 years and 8 months, secured this win in his 99th start. This triumph was his first title since the 2021 Open Championship and his first worldwide victory since the 2021 DP World Tour Championship.
Morikawa’s bogey-free 63 in the final round set a new record as the lowest final-round score by a tournament winner, surpassing the previous best of 65 achieved by Hideki Matsuyama in 2021 and Patrick Cantlay in 2020. It was also Morikawa’s lowest final-round score of the season.
In addition to his victory, Morikawa set another record with a six-shot win, the largest margin of victory in tournament history, surpassing Hideki Matsuyama’s previous highest margin of 5 strokes in 2021. Morikawa displayed remarkable consistency, playing his final 24 holes at Accordia Golf in Narashino CC in 12-under and recording the most birdies (24) during the week.
Collin Morikawa’s tournament total was 14-under 266, while Eric Cole and Beau Hossler shared second place at 8-under, rounding out the leaderboard.
The Zozo Championship witnessed a historic moment as three Japanese players secured top-10 positions for the first time. Morikawa’s six-shot victory was a testament to his skill and determination, while Ryo Ishikawa, a two-time PGA Tour runner-up, also impressed with a score of 67 in Chiba, finishing tied for fourth with a four-day total of seven-under 273, trailing Morikawa by seven strokes.
The tournament had a diverse mix of players, including Indian-American Sahith Theegala, Aaron Rai, and Akshay Bhatia, who secured respectable finishes in the field. Sungjae Im also performed well, finishing tied for 12th place with a score of 68.
