Tiger Woods — a titan on the greens. A man whose golf skills were like mighty roars that left not only his competitors but also spectators in awe. Many young kids couldn’t help but admire the golfing heroics of the 15-time major winner, choosing him as their idol and Collin Morikawa is one of them. So what happened when the California native crossed paths with the enigma for the first time?

In a recent interview with The Scoop on Golf.com’s YouTube channel, Morikawa took a trip down memory lane back to 2019. An unforgettable year for the six-time major winner, it was the year he turned pro. The year became even more special as it was the year when he first met Tiger Woods. Morikawa recalled, “ It was 2019 in the Zozo Championship locker room,” referring to the action-packed 2019 tournament where he witnessed Woods make an amazing score of 19 under par and win the tournament.

The golfer explained how nervous and tongue-tied he was at his first encounter with the goat. “We have the same agent, and he had just introduced me for like three seconds, and I didn’t know what to say. I was like, ‘hi’, and he’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I know who you are’ “I’m like, ‘Cool, okay, thanks.'” Just kind of left it at that,” the golfer continued.

Morikawa might be over the nervousness he used to get around Woods, but his wife, Katherine Zhu, still bubbles up with excitement every time they see the 15-time major winner. “My wife freaks out; I think Tiger’s the only person my wife would freak out over that I know of,”  said Morikawa.

Morikawa’s train of appreciation for Woods continued as he said, “I’ve gotten to know him a lot better and he’s awesome,”  and it’s true. The two golfers have been golfing together many times, and Morikawa even looks up to Woods.

Collin Morikawa’s admiration for Tiger Woods runs deep

Collin Morikawa started playing golf when he was young, but he didn’t watch many sports on TV. Still, one name he knew well was Tiger Woods. Morikawa admires Woods a lot. “There’s only a few athletes in the world that I can think of that have done that to their respective sport. So that’s, of course, someone who I’m going to look up to,” he told CNN.

From winning 82 PGA Tour titles, including 15 majors, just three wins short of Jack Nicklaus in the race of most major wins, to making and breaking countless records, Tiger Woods has done his due for the sport, earning him a space in the annals of golf as a legend.. He is second only to Jack Nicklaus in major championship wins. His success has inspired many young golfers, including Morikawa. “He’s grown this game like no one else ever has,” Morikawa said.

A special moment for Morikawa was when he got to play alongside Woods at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open. Not only were both golfers having a blast at the tournament, but Woods also finished with a score of 9 under par, tying for 9th place, while Morikawa settled with a score of 6 under par, tying for 21st place. Seeing these two great golfers play together was exciting. Would you like to see them paired again in future tournaments? Let us know in the comments below!