Collin Morikawa won for the first time in more than two years on the PGA Tour after triumphing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday.
After his round, Morikawa offered praise for Justin Thomas when discussing the poorest shots he hit coming down the stretch at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The 29-year-old has been woefully out of form over the past two years now, with his last PGA Tour win before Pebble Beach coming in October 2023.
Do you think Collin Morikawa will win a major in 2026?
He was back to his old self at Pebble Beach…
So, Morikawa’s win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday was a very timely one, and it silenced a lot of his doubters.
The man from Los Angeles firmly established himself as one of the best players in the game when he won two major championships in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Now the challenge for him will be to prove that his win at Pebble Beach was not a one-off by rediscovering his very best form consistently throughout 2026 and beyond.
Collin Morikawa praises Justin Thomas after AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am win
Morikawa and Thomas are obviously both fierce competitors on the golf course, but they’re close friends away from it.
Because of that, many of the top golfers in the world learn from one another.
After his win at Pebble Beach, Morikawa may well be asking Thomas for advice regarding one particular shot he hit down the stretch on the magnificent links on the Monterey Peninsula.
He spoke to reporters after his final round and was asked about his poor tee shot on the par-three 17th hole.
“Yeah, 17 I was taking a lot off of it,” Morikawa said.
“Sometimes when you take that much speed off, you look at a guy I think like Justin Thomas, who’s really, really good at controlling speed in their swing not just with their arms but with their body.
“I was taking so much speed off of that that I just forgot to keep turning. So hands get ahead. So I wasn’t worried. But a very different shot.
“This was a full 4-iron that I could hit. It wasn’t going anywhere distance wise short of the green or over the pin. Like it was landing there in a lot of scenarios that I had kind of played out.“
The fascinating thing about the very best golfers on the planet is that they are all on a never-ending quest to find perfection.
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That is what makes them so good and after his win at Pebble Beach, Morikawa will be determined to keep up that fine form throughout 2026.
What area of his game does he still need to improve, though?
Collin Morikawa’s stats from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
It’s hard to even be the slightest bit critical of someone who has just won a PGA Tour event, but rest assured, that he is his own strongest critic.
Once again, it was Morikawa’s chipping and putting that held him back at Pebble Beach.
I say held him back, perhaps stopped him from winning by seven or eight shots would have been a more appropriate term!
| Stats | Morikawa’s Pebble Beach rank |
| Strokes gained off the tee | 13 |
| Strokes gained approach | 1 |
| Strokes gained around the greens | 39 |
| Strokes gained putting | 44 |
| Strokes gained total | 1 |
It’s clear to see that if Morikawa wants to win regularly again, he needs to hone his chipping and putting skills.
Morikawa’s ball-striking last week at Pebble Beach was elite, but he cannot rely on that every single week on the PGA Tour.
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