INZAI, Chiba Prefecture ― Collin Morikawa fired a bogey-free 7-under 63 on Sunday, October 22 to win the ZOZO Championship by six strokes for his sixth career victory on the PGA Tour and first since 2021.
The 26-year-old native of Los Angeles rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th to finish with a four-day total of 14-under 266, six strokes ahead of Beau Hossler and Eric Cole, who both shot even-par 70.
After the win, Morikawa talked about the relief that comes with breaking such a long drought.
"I can't even explain it," Morikawa said. "I was going to get here at some point, but it's like getting your first win, your first major."
Japan's Ryo Ishikawa (67) gave the home fans a thrill when he moved up the leaderboard with three straight birdies from the par-5 14th.
Ishikawa bogeyed the par-4 17th but birdied the final hole to jump into a tie for fourth place with Robby Shelton (65).
Ishikawa Motivated to Return to PGA Tour
The 32-year-old Ishikawa, who attempted a PGA career back in 2009, has been playing in Japan for the past five years and said this result will motivate him to go back to the PGA.
"I'm always hoping to get back on the PGA Tour," Ishikawa said. "It's been about five years since I've been back (in Japan). But I've been trying to rebuild myself so that I can go back to the PGA. I just feel like it's never too late to achieve that, so I'm always working hard for it."
Morikawa birdied five of his last six holes on Saturday en route to a 66 that reignited his title hopes after a 73 in the windy second round.
Solid Start for Morikawa in Final Round
Starting the final round in fourth place and two strokes back, Morikawa picked up where he left off, rolling in four birdies on the front nine to open up a three-stroke lead in near-perfect conditions at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.
"The game felt really good," Morikawa said. "Knowing that I was two back and just wanting to give yourself a chance, everything just kind of clicked and I was able to not make any errors really, and make par putts when needed."
His long birdie putt on par-4 12th hole gave him a four-stroke lead and pretty much sealed the deal. He added another clutch birdie on the par-4 15th for a five-stroke lead before his final birdie on 18.
Morikawa's approach on the 17th found a bunker at the side of the green but he calmly chipped it out and then saved par with an eight-footer. It was just one example of how well he avoided bogeys.
For Morikawa, it was his first PGA victory since winning The Open Championship in 2021.
Suh Slips Out of Contention at ZOZO Championship
While Morikawa sizzled, his nearest rivals all faded. Overnight leader and PGA rookie Justin Suh had three bogeys on the front nine to fall out of contention.
Suh had three more bogeys after the turn and carded two birdies to finish with a 74 and tied for 10th.
Satoshi Kodaira, who started the day in fifth, had two bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine and ended up tied for 12th after a 72.
Three Japanese Finish in Top 10
Ishikawa was one of three Japanese players to finish in the top 10.
Kensei Hirata and Ryo Hisatsune both shot final round 66s to finish tied for sixth place with Australian Min Woo Lee at 6-under 274.
"My shots were really good throughout the day and overall," Hisatsune said. "That helped me make a lot of birdie opportunities and I took those well."
Hirata credited his putting for the good results.
"I tried to make as many opportunities as I can this week," Hirata said.
He added, "I think my putting really helped that as well. I felt like my shots got better by the day, so I'm really happy about that."
Morikawa joins Tigers Woods, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Cantlay and Keegan Bradley as winners of the only PGA tournament played in Japan. The ZOZO Championship was first held in 2019.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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