Collin Morikawa came close last season. Painfully so. Multiple times. Leading by six shots after 54 holes at The Sentry and bogey-free through 67 holes, Morikawa coughed up three straight bogeys to wind up second, tying the PGA Tour record for squandering the largest 54-hole lead.
After a roller-coaster season where he finished T10 at the Masters but missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Morikawa was in prime position for his first victory in more than two years at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last July but lost in a playoff to Rickie Fowler, who ended his own four-year winless drought on Tour.
Ultimately, the third time would prove to be the charm as Morikawa shot a final-round 7-under 63 to win the 2023 Zozo Championship by six strokes in October, ending a string of close-but-no-cigar results with his first Tour victory in 27 months.
“It wasn’t a matter of if I was going to win, it was just a question of when,” Morikawa said. “It’s nice to get that out of the way because this is a year I feel like the game’s in a great spot, the head’s in the right spot, life’s in a great spot and I’m not trying to worry about too many things other than going out and trying to have a great time and kind of enjoying playing golf and trying to win again.”
Winning certainly cures all. And it’s given Morikawa his swagger back.