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Along the White Cliffs of Dover, Collin Morikawa eclipsed the field to win his second major at the 149th Open Championship. It was nothing short of ball striking royalty at Royal St. George’s. He led the field in strokes gained approach, which has become a regular occurrence for the now five-time PGA Tour winner.
It’s rare that players make significant equipment changes ahead of a major championship. However, Morikawa noticed the turf interaction with his irons was different in the links soil. As TaylorMade’s Adrian Rietveld puts it, “The sound was not Collin-like.”
Prior to this week, Collin had a P•Series combo set consisting of P•770 4-iron, P•7MC 5i-6i and then P•730 7i-PW. After some discussion and watching Collin go through his warmup routine, Rietveld noticed the issue could be in the transition from his 6-iron (P•7MC) to his 7-iron (P•730) due to the different sole geometry of the models. Collectively, the decision was made to switch into P•7MC in his 7i-9i. When the world’s best iron player changes irons, you take notice.
“I changed my 9 through 7-iron that I normally have blades in. I changed to the P•7MCs strictly because I couldn't find the center of the face. I was sitting these iron shots last week at the Scottish Open that I just normally don't and my swing felt good, but it was a huge learning opportunity.” Collin Morikawa
The irons weren’t the only change for the week. Morikawa also made a slight alteration to his TP Juno putter, as he was struggling with the pace of links greens. By adding two 7.5g weights to the head (totaling 10g of more weight), Collin could get the extra roll without having to think about hitting the ball harder or adapting his putting process. Normally inside the top 30, Collin finished the week inside the top 3 in overall putting.
The last two weeks were Morikawa’s first foray into links golf. He embraced the challenge, the opportunity to show the full depth of his game. It’s an environment that lends itself to Collin’s strong suits. Patience, maturity, decision making and hitting the ball in the center of the face. Admittedly, ahead of this year’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island (a State Side links-style venue) Morikawa and his coach Rick Sessinghaus were giving thought to preparing for the true links ahead.
“Collin is a very good iron player, and there will be an emphasis on flighting shots. That’s all related to the swing, and we know he can do those things. The most important component to playing links golf is decision making. It’s saying: ‘Hey, this is the shot we’re playing for.’ The club selection, the distance, the trajectory and shape, then committing to it. A lot of those decisions are made with JJ (his caddie) and Collin during the practice rounds.” Collin's Coach, Rick Sessinghaus
Collin entered the final round just one shot off the lead. After 10 consecutive pars, dating back to his third round, he rattled off three consecutive birdies to close his opening nine on Sunday. A critical par save at the 10th maintained his momentum as kept his lead at three shots. A bogey-free final round 66 earned him the Claret Jug.
Through his eight major championship starts, Collin has amassed two victories and four top 10s. He’s the first player in the history of the game to win om his debut in two different major championships (2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship). He joins Tiger Woods as the only two players to win both the PGA and The Open before the age of 25.
The 24-year-old Morikawa is a major machine, and your Champion Golfer of The Year.
• Changed to the P•7MC irons in his 7-9 irons this week• Added 10g of weight to TP Juno putter this week• Collin now has five PGA Tour Wins (2 majors, 1 WGC and 2 regular PGA Tour victories) at the age of 24• Likely to move inside the Top 3 in the OWGR• This was Collin's Open Championship debut • First player in men's golf history to win his debut in two different majors (PGA Championship and Open Championship) • Second player to win the PGA Championship and Open Championship before the age of 25 (Tiger Woods) • First player to win two majors in eight starts or fewer since Bobby Jones