‘Very Biased Being From the U.S.’ – Collin Morikawa Reflects on Historic Victory at the Open Championship 2021

Collin Morikawa has won the 2021 Open Championship. He was absolutely scintillating throughout the event and has finally laid hands on the trophy. This is Morikawa’s second major victory in eight starts.  His first major win came in 2020 at the PGA Championship.

The 24-year-old scored 66 and finished with a score of -15 for the tournament. He won the championship with a two-stroke lead over Jordan Spieth. He was absolutely phenomenal, not just today but in all four rounds. With this victory, he became the first player to win two different majors in his first attempt.

The American golfer also received wholehearted support from the crowd. And that is what he acknowledged during the presentation.

“This is by far one of the best moments of my life to see everyone out here. Look at all these fans. Let’s hear for you guys.”

“I’m obviously very biased being from the US, but to see some of the best crowds I’ve ever seen out here. I look forward to making my trip every year to the British Open and see you guys cheer us on. Thank you, guys,” Morikawa mentioned.

Collin Morikawa makes sensational front-nine

Morikawa had started his round with a score of -11 and was just a stroke behind the leader. But he then fell had a slow start to the final round as opened his account with six consecutive pars. However, there was a sudden upheaval as he made three consecutive birdies on 7, 8, and 9. With this hat-trick of birdies, he took a solo lead and went ahead of Oosthuizen and Spieth.

Louis Oosthuizen, on the other hand, once again had a disappointing last day. He couldn’t make a single birdie in the front nine, which gave Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa a chance to go past. While even Jordan Spieth had a poor start with a couple of bogeys on 4 and 6, he then made an emphatic comeback by making an eagle on par-5, 7.

Collin Morikawa, though, was going on with his game in complete confidence. He showed a lot of composure for a player who has barely been a pro for 2 years. The two-time major championship winner was completely in sync with his game throughout the tournament. For the last round, Morikawa had a driving accuracy of about 70% which means he was in the fairway more often than not.

Morikawa played a calculated back-nine

Going into the back-nine, Morikawa’s primary aim was to avoid bogeys at any cost. And he was successful in doing so as he remained bogey-free and scored a birdie on 14th to extend the lead by two strokes. He made sure that he doesn’t take unnecessary risks and tried to play it safe for the final few holes.

The most surprising thing throughout the 149th Open Championship for Morikawa has been his putting. The 24-year-old has drained some amazing putts which is usually the weakest link in his game. He just made 1.54 average putts on each green which is staggering. Meanwhile, there was never a doubt about his iron play. His approach shots have always been impeccable, and it was no different this time as well. He managed to hit 75% of greens in regulations, which is unbelievable.

Now with this victory, Collin Morikawa has moved up to 3rd place in the OWGR.

Read More – ‘Why Is It Called Claret Jug?’ – Major Details About the Open Championship Trophy