Collin Morikawa would have been forgiven for having a sinking feeling when he saw Scottie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard late on Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
It had been a long wait for a seventh PGA Tour win for Collin Morikawa. You would have had to have gone back to the 2023 ZOZO Championship for his most recent victory. And, of course, there had been several close calls since then.
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So it felt ominous when Scottie Scheffler took the clubhouse lead on Sunday at Pebble Beach. For the second tournament running, the world number one seemed to take himself out of contention on Thursday before fighting back.
Ultimately, Scheffler registered his worst result this season – tied for fourth – while Morikawa went on to finish one shot clear of Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka.
Scottie Scheffler praises Collin Morikawa after his Pebble Beach triumph
It was a hugely significant moment for Morikawa, who announced after the win that he and his wife are expecting their first child this year.
And speaking ahead of the Genesis Invitational, Scheffler insisted that he could not be happier for the 29-year-old.
“You look at a guy like Collin last week, I’ve been competing against Collin since we were like 14 years old,” he said.
“He wins a tournament, he announces he’s pregnant, and all of a sudden, it’s such a cool moment to see a guy who’s played really good golf over the last few years and hasn’t quite gotten the results and the wins, but he’s played pretty consistent golf, and then he gets to announce that he’s having a kid.
“It’s this moment, it’s like, wow. I competed as hard as I could, got beat, and it’s like, man, that’s awesome. You won, congrats. You’re having a baby, even bigger congrats. Then we’re here this week and the prep just starts again.”
Collin Morikawa has the slight edge over Scottie Scheffler at Riviera
Riviera is actually one of the courses where Morikawa has the edge over Scheffler over the early stages of their careers.
Scheffler’s best finish in the Genesis Invitational came last year when he was tied for third. However, that event was played at Torrey Pines.
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Morikawa finished second at Riviera in 2022, two shots behind Joaquin Niemann.
Both players have two top-10s in six starts at the Pacific Palisades venue.
Clearly, you would expect Scheffler to register the higher finish this week. You would have to go back nearly a year for the last time he finished outside the top 10 in any event.
Morikawa should also allow himself to celebrate his win at Pebble Beach. It should not be a surprise if he does not quite have his A game in the coming days.
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