Collin Morikawa had no doubts he would break victory drought

It’s been a busy time for Collin Morikawa since he won his second major championship at the 2021 British Open at age 24.

He’s represented the United States in the Olympics and on two Ryder Cup teams, captured the 2021 DP World Tour Race to Dubai, reached No. 2 in the world rankings, got married, bought a mansion in the foothills of Las Vegas and filmed a plethora of commercials for his sponsors.

What he hadn’t done is win another PGA Tour event until Sunday at the Zozo Championship. Morikawa claims he wasn’t fazed by the 27-month victory drought.

“There weren’t doubts,” he said. “It wasn’t like I didn’t believe I was going to have another win or whatever. It was just more about when it was going to happen.”

And when it did, it happened in dominating fashion. His final-round 63 was flawless, as he separated from the pack and won by an impressive six shots at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club outside Tokyo.

Morikawa said some players panic when there are long stretches between wins, starting to question every aspect of their games and their preparation. That wasn’t the case for him.

“I haven’t really done too much,” he said. “I just needed to take two steps back and really understand the foundation of what made me so solid of a player, you know, say in ’19, ’20 and ’21. … Sometimes you have to understand from a very basic level of why does your golf game work.”

The win in Japan comes in what Morikawa said is his final start of 2023, giving him some momentum entering the new year.

“The goals don’t change,” he said. “Trust me, I’ve shown up to majors the past couple years, showing up to all these tournaments. I fully believe that I can pull it off, but it’s nice to kind of just get that one out of the way.”

He said one benefit of winning is silencing critics wondering why he hadn’t closed the deal.

“The questions hopefully won’t be there, right?” he said. “Just how do I continue it? How do I build off of it? That’s a great question.”

PGA Works Fellowship

A Henderson native is among 23 recent college graduates to be named a PGA Works Fellow, a one-year program that gives those with an interest in a golf career a deep dive into the operations of the PGA of America.

Mollie Mars, who earned her bachelor’s degree at UNR and a masters at Niagara University, will spend the year in the Western New York PGA Section, working on marketing, communications, fundraising activities and more.

The program offers entry-level opportunities for individuals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to gain experience in all facets of the golf industry.

Chip shots

— Three Las Vegas players have made it through the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying. Joseph Harrison, Dominic Piccirillo and John Oda advanced to the second stage at one of five sites in mid-November. Those who get through will play in final stage qualifying Dec. 14 to 17 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where the top five finishes earn PGA Tour cards and the next 40 get full Korn Ferry Tour status.

— Devin Helman shot 9-under 63 for an eight-shot victory in the championship bracket at last week’s SNGA Tour event at Las Vegas Golf Club. Other winners included Marty Pine (Senior), David Foggia (Silver) and Chris Kanthak (Net).

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.