Page 38 - Las Vegas Golf & Leisure Fall 2020

PRO GOLFER

While his demeanor during the day at TPC Summerlin
probably revealed plenty about his character, his play on
the course is what is truly turning heads and ultimately led
to Tiger Woods welcoming him to the “major club” a cou-
ple weeks after Morikawa won the PGA Championship this
past August.

Right out of the gate, Morikawa, 23, made his first 22 cuts
as a professional—the second longest streak in 30 years
behind only Woods’ record 25 in a row—and has three wins
in his first 29 tournaments. He was the third-youngest
player to win the PGA Championship behind Jack Nicklaus
and Rory McIlroy, and just a few months ahead of Woods.
Rarified air, for sure.

“It's great company to be in,” Morikawa said at the PGA
Championship just after accepting the Wanamaker trophy.
“It's been crazy, because this entire start of my professional
career, I see all the things comparing me to Tiger and doing
all this. (Obviously) Tiger is on a completely different level
and I think we all know that. But any time you're in the con-
versation of the greats, Jack, Rory, Tiger, no matter who it is,
if you're in that conversation, you're doing something well.”

Morikawa played at Cal and shortly after graduating in
2019 made the move to Las Vegas, juggling house hunting
with his fledgling superstar career. On that fateful day at
Summerlin, Morikawa provided a hint of what was to come
with a glimpse into his simple mindset.

“I set some goals prior to my first start, but I never had any
expectations because a goal is something to work towards,
but if you have expectations and it doesn’t work out, then it
can feel like a failure,” Morikawa said. “I believe in myself,
and I felt comfortable from my first tournament. My main
goal was to just learn as much as possible this summer, and
I definitely did.”

36 LAS VEGAS GOLF & LEISURE FALL 2020 www.lasvegasgolfandleisure.com