Collin Morikawa on 2021 British Open Win: By Far One of the Best Moments of My Life
Jul 18, 2021
United States' Collin Morikawa holds up the claret jug trophy as he poses for photographers on the 18th green after winning the British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's golf course Sandwich, England, Sunday, July 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
After showing his poise during the final round at the 2021 British Open, Collin Morikawa continued to impress with a memorable victory speech after raising the Claret Jug.
Morikawa held off Jordan Spieth Sunday to win the title, avoiding any bogeys in his final round to finish 15 strokes under par for the week. It was the second major title for the American after also winning the 2020 PGA Championship.
Per Justin Ray, Morikawa is the first golfer to ever win two majors on his first attempt and the first since Bobby Jones to win two of his first eight starts at a major.
Collin Morikawa Wins 2021 British Open; Ties Tiger Woods with Historic Milestone Win
Jul 18, 2021
United States' Collin Morikawa celebrates after a birdie putt on the 14th hole during the final round of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's golf course Sandwich, England, Sunday, July 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Collin Morikawa earned his second career major title with a victory at the 2021 British Open.
Louis Oosthuizen had led The Open Championship after each of the first three rounds, but it was Morikawa who stormed ahead with a 66 in his final round Sunday to finish 15 strokes under par for the tournament.
The winning moment 👏
Collin Morikawa rounds off a truly magnificent performance at Royal St George's 🏆
Jordan Spieth finished two strokes back for second place at Royal St. George's, while Oosthuizen ended up in a tie for third.
It continues an incredible 12 months for Morikawa, who won the PGA Championship last August and now has three straight top-10 finishes at majors. He also joins some elite company in a variety of categories:
Tiger Woods is the only other player to win these two majors before the age of 25.
Final Leaderboard
1. Collin Morikawa (-15)
2. Jordan Spieth (-13)
T3. Jon Rahm (-11)
T3. Louis Oosthuizen (-11)
5. Dylan Frittelli (-9)
T6. Brooks Koepka (-8)
T6. Mackenzie Hughes (-8)
T8. Dustin Johnson (-7)
T8. Robert MacIntyre (-7)
T8. Daniel Berger (-7)
T8. Scottie Scheffler (-7)
Full leaderboard and stats available at TheOpen.com.
Oosthuizen was the favorite heading into the final day thanks to his one-stroke lead and consistent play over the first three rounds.
The fourth round wasn't quite as smooth for the South African, however, as he finished the front nine with two bogeys and no birdies. The par-five seventh hole was especially disappointing as Oosthuizen hit it from one bunker to the other before saving bogey.
Louis Oosthuizen currently has the body language of a guy who's eight shots off the cut line on a Friday afternoon.
It opened the door for others to move up the leaderboard, with Morikawa especially taking advantage.
The 24-year-old grabbed the solo lead and built a small cushion thanks to three straight birdies from No. 7 through No. 9, plus a clutch par save on No. 10.
Three shots clear👀@collin_morikawa is on fire at @RoyalStGeorges1 🔥
It effectively created a two-man race between the Americans over the final few holes, though Morikawa remained just ahead on the leaderboard.
Every time Spieth put the pressure on with a birdie, Morikawa stayed in front with key shots when needed. The clutch putting continually turned heads—not only on birdies but also on pars:
Morikawa only had one birdie on the back nine, but finishing bogey-free in the final round helped him seal the impressive victory.
There's something special about majors where one guy not only wins, but was clearly the best player of the tournament. Not really many "what ifs" here. Morikawa was just simply the best.
Champion Golfer of the Year. A title well deserved.
Rahm finished in a tie for third place despite an opening round of 71.
Other notable players like Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson had a strong final round to end up in the top 10.
Though this was the final major of the year, these quality performances could help build momentum going forward with the FedEx Cup playoffs on the horizon.
British Open 2021: Tee Times, Pairings and Predictions for Sunday Schedule
Jul 17, 2021
US golfer Collin Morikawa lines up his put on the 18th green during his third round on day 3 of The 149th British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's, Sandwich in south-east England on July 17, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Louis Oosthuizen is atop the leaderboard and in control with 18 holes to play at the 149th edition of The Open Championship. On Sunday he'll look to hold off the field in an attempt to snap an 11-year title drought.
Oosthuizen has finished as runner-up on three occasions already in 2021. He took second at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April, second at the PGA Championship in May and second again at the U.S. Open in June. The final major of the year gives him another opportunity to claim his first victory since The Open in 2010. At 12 under par, the South African remains one stroke ahead of Collin Morikawa and three ahead of Jordan Spieth.
He'll be paired with Morikawa again Sunday. Here's a look at the Saturday leaderboard and the Sunday tee times as The Open reaches its conclusion.
It's been a strange week for the No. 1 golfer in the world. Johnson put together a decent opening round of 68, improved by three strokes Friday and then fell apart Saturday with a three-over 73.
Johnson bogeyed five holes before he found his first birdie Saturday as the contenders separated themselves from the also-rans. That dropped Johnson 14 spots, from safely inside the top 10 to barely in the top 20. It's not likely to get any better for him Sunday. Not after he hit just 50 percent of his fairways and the same amount of greens in regulation. The 37-year-old has made a habit of struggling in later rounds this season. Based on how he played Saturday, Sunday seems likely to bring more of the same.
Jon Rahm Leads Sunday Charge
Jon Rahm looks like a sneaky pick to grab control of the leaderboard before Oosthuizen and Morikawa tee off. The 2021 U.S. Open champion will start his round 20 minutes before the final pairing tees off at No. 1, and that should give him more than enough time to put some pressure on the leaders.
Rahm bogeyed the first hole Saturday before sinking birdies on Nos. 3 and 6—both par threes. A bogey on the par-five No. 7 washed out some of that work, but it's clear Rahm is starting to figure out Royal St. George's. He strung together three more birdies in his final seven holes and is in position to catch Oosthuizen, who is five strokes ahead.
Look for Rahm to set the pace Sunday as Oosthuizen attempts to close out a victory. And don't be surprised if Rahm challenges for the title down the stretch.
Entering the final round of The Open Championship, Louis Oosthuizen, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa find themselves in the same position they were in at the start of the third round Saturday...
British Open 2021: Tee Times, Pairings and Predictions for Saturday Schedule
Jul 17, 2021
SANDWICH, ENGLAND - JULY 16: Jordan Spieth of the USA on the 7th tee during Day Two of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club on July 16, 2021 in Sandwich, England. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
The 2021 Open Championship at at Royal St. George's Golf Course in Kent, England continued to tighten up on Friday, leaving Louis Oosthuizen (11 under) with a two-stroke lead over Collin Morikawa (nine under) ahead of moving day.
With the weekend field set, there should be no shortage of star power on the course over the next two days as Jordan Speith (eight under), Dustin Johnson (seven under), Brooks Koepka (five under) and Jon Rahm (five under) all find themselves within striking distance of Oosthuizen's lead.
Here's a look at Saturday's notable tee times and pairings as the final major championship of 2021 reaches the halfway point.
The Open Championship Saturday Tee Times
(All times EST)
4:30 a.m. - Talor Booch, Bryson DeChambeau
5:40 a.m. - Abraham Ancer, Jason Kokrak
6:05 a.m. - Rory McIlroy, Richard Bland
6:45 a.m. - Viktor Hovland, Joaquin Niemann
7:05 a.m. - Justin Thomas, Adam Scott
8:10 a.m. - Webb Simpson, Tommy Fleetwood
8:30 a.m. - Sergio Garcia, Byeong Hun An
8:50 a.m. - Dean Burmester, Daniel Berger
9:00 a.m. - Shane Lowry, Brandt Snedeker
9:10 a.m. - Danny Willett, Brian Harman
9:45 a.m. - Jon Rahm, Cameron Tringale
9:55 a.m. - Brooks Koepka, Mackenzie Hughes
10:35 a.m. - Dustin Johnson, Scottie Scheffler
10:45 a.m. - Jordan Spieth, Dylan Frittelli
10:55 a.m. - Louis Oosthuizen, Collin Morikawa
All tee times and pairings available via Golf Channel
Already the field has lost a number of fan favorites who failed to make the cut at one-over par. That includes Troy Merritt, Patrick Cantlay, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, Jason Day, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.
That just puts more pressure on the top players to deliver this weekend. Here's two predictions for Saturday and Sunday at the 149th edition of The Open Championship.
More Aces Abound
Jonathan Thomson's hole-in-one on the Par 3 No. 16 was one of the most electric—and unexpected—moments of Friday's action. He won't be the only player to pick up an ace this weekend.
The 16th hole is about as straightforward as they come. It's 162 yards to the pin with the green surrounded by several pot bunkers and deep cuts of grass. That leaves few spots where golfers can safely land their shots. The most aggressive will be looking to drop them right next to the flag and since the race for the Claret Jug is already tight, there should be plenty of pros attempting the feat.
That means there'll be a more than a few opportunities to sink a hole in one. In 1981, three players recorded aces at the hole.
The 2021 Open Championship may match that.
Oosthuizen Ends Drought
The South African Oosthuizen has been so close to earning his first tour victory since capturing The Open Championship in 2010. Three times this season he has found himself in second place, serving as runner-up at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, PGA Championship and most recently at the U.S. Open.
As Oosthuizen continues to come up short in his bid for a second PGA win, his play through two rounds at Royal St. George's show he's as dialed in as ever. And the drought is ready to reach its end.
The 38-year-old put together four birdies, one eagle and a bogey on Friday to finish with a round of 65—one worse than his round of 64 on Thursday. Going on a wire-to-wire victory may seem daunting, but Oosthuizen's performance thus far shows he's up to it. He didn't bogey a single hole in his first round and nearly made it through his second without one either until a misfire on No. 16.
He's hit 92.86 percent of fairways, 83.33 percent of his greens in regulation and is averaging 1.61 putts.
This tournament is Oosthuizen's to lose and it doesn't appear he's headed in that direction.
British Open 2021: Oosthuizen Shoots 2nd-Round 65, Leads Morikawa and Spieth
Jul 16, 2021
South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen acknowledges the crowd after putting an eagle on the 14th green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's golf course Sandwich, England, Friday, July 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Louis Oosthuizen continues to be the most impressive player at the 2021 Open Championship, though he has a lot of challengers on his heels heading into the weekend.
The South African maintained sole possession of the lead after Friday's second round with a 65. His 36-hole score is 11 under par overall is the lowest two-round total since 2014 (Rory McIlroy, 12 under).
Collin Morikawa's 64 was tied for the lowest score of the day. He's now in second place at nine under par, followed by Jordan Spieth (eight under) and a trio tied for fourth place at seven under.
The cut line of one-over par means several marquee players, including Francesco Molinari and Tyrell Hatton, both of whom were two over, are headed home early. Phil Mickelson, who was tied for last place after opening with an 80 on Thursday, finished his brief run at Royal St. George's Golf Club in 152nd place at 12 over.
Since this year's Open Championship is only a par-70, compared to 2014 when McIlroy was 12 under through two rounds on a par-72, Oosthuizen's 36-hole total is the lowest in the 149-year history of this event.
Louis Oosthuizen has set the record for lowest 36-hole score in The Open Championship history with a 129. pic.twitter.com/2FHdchMJbs
One reason Oosthuizen has been so successful is his ability to avoid mistakes. The 38-year-old has just one bogey thus far. He also had four birdies and his first eagle of the tournament in the second round.
Catch him if you can⚡️@Louis57TM, who once won The Open by seven shots, is now three clear🤯
Oosthuizen has also been brilliant off the tee, hitting 13 out of 14 fairways on Friday. His greens in regulation percentage was 83.3 and averaged 1.61 putts per green in regulation.
Despite being close to winning the past two major tournaments, Oosthuizen has had some issues in the final two rounds that have cost him. He was one under par over the final 36 holes at the U.S. Open after finishing four under in the first two rounds.
After opening the PGA Championship at five under, Oosthuizen shot 72-73 over the final two rounds to finish two shots behind Mickelson.
Morikawa was one of the day's big winners. His score of six under par on Friday tied Jon Rahm and Emiliano Grillo for the best in the field. It also marked his fifth consecutive round under par at a major dating back to the U.S. Open.
Collin Morikawa's 3 career major rounds shooting 65 or better are tied with Rory McIlroy for the 3rd-most in major championship history by any golfer before his 25th birthday. The only golfers with more are Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods. h/t @EliasSportspic.twitter.com/JQJJb8LQlq
Morikawa put up seven birdies and a bogey on No. 15, which proved to be the most difficult hole of the day. The average score on the par four was 4.36.
This marks the Los Angeles native's first appearance in The Open Championship. The last player to win this tournament in their first attempt was Ben Curtis in 2003.
Spieth has continued his recent string of excellent golf. Since posting a 77 in the first round of the U.S. Open, the Texas native has played his last 90 holes at 15 under par. He briefly moved into a tie for the lead at The Open Championship with his birdie on No. 12.
Jordan Spieth’s 36-hole score of 132 (65-67) is the second-lowest of his major championship career (130, 2015 Masters Tournament).
Spieth began with a score of 135 or better through two rounds in all three major titles.#TheOpen
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) July 16, 2021
Closing in👀@JordanSpieth moves within one of the lead with a trademark putt as he starts the back nine👌
Not far behind Spieth is Dustin Johnson, who is part of the three-way tie for fourth place at seven under par. His 65 on Friday marked his best single-round score at The Open Championship since the third round of the 2017 event.
The world number 1️⃣is on the move!@DJohnsonPGA has holed birdies on 7 and 8 to move to -4.
The Open Championship hasn't historically been one of Johnson's better events. He only has one top-10 finish since 2013 (tied for ninth in 2016).
Among the notable players who will be around for the weekend, but not likely to contend include Rory McIlroy (even) and Xander Schauffele (even). Brooks Koepka (five under) and Sergio Garcia (three under) still have an outside shot at making a move if they can catch a break in the next two days.
The third round will tee off at 4:20 a.m. ET. Morikawa and Oosthuizen will begin their rounds at 10:55 a.m. ET.
Louis Oosthuizen, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa are going to be among the top daily fantasy plays for the weekend at The Open Championship...
Brooks Koepka Trolls Bryson DeChambeau at the Open Championship: 'I Love My Driver'
Jul 16, 2021
SANDWICH, ENGLAND - JULY 15: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays his shot from the first tee during Day One of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club on July 15, 2021 in Sandwich, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
After completing his second round at the 2021 Open Championship, Brooks Koepka took time to troll his longtime rival Bryson DeChambeau.
"I love my driver," Koepka said on the television broadcast on Friday.
DeChambeau found himself in a little bit of trouble on Thursday when he put the blame for his one-over 71 on his driver.
"I said it yesterday or a couple days ago. If I can hit it down the middle of the fairway, that's great," he told reporters. "But with the driver right now, the driver sucks."
Cobra, the company that makes DeChambeau's driver and has had a sponsorship deal with him since 2016, didn't take too kindly to those comments.
Ben Schomin, Cobra’s tour operations manager, addressed the outspoken golfer about his driver.
“Everybody is bending over backwards. We’ve got multiple guys in R&D who are CAD’ing (computer-aided design) this and CAD-ing that, trying to get this and that into the pipeline faster. [Bryson] knows it,” Schomin told David Dusek of Golfweek.com. “It’s just really, really painful when he says something that stupid.”
In a post on Instagram, DeChambeau did apologize for his comments even though he did say in the caption accompanying the post that "the driver did suck."
"I sucked today, not my equipment," he wrote. "My frustration and emotions over the way I drove the ball boiled over ... I deeply regret the words I used earlier."
The rivalry between Koepka and DeChambeau has been an entertaining sideshow on the PGA Tour this season. Koepka famously gave his opponent an eye roll when he saw him walking around the course after the second round of the PGA Championship in May.
Koepka's driver helped him post a four-under-par 66 on Friday. He is currently five under through 36 holes and has positioned himself well to stay in contention all weekend.
Tyrrell Hatton Snaps Club in Frustration During 2021 Open Championship 2nd Round
Jul 16, 2021
SANDWICH, ENGLAND - JULY 1: Tyrrell Hatton of England tees off on the 7th during a practice round ahead of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club on July 13, 2021 in Sandwich, England. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)
Playing in his home country did little to curb Tyrrell Hatton's frustration during the second round of the 2021 Open Championship on Friday.
As seen in the following photos courtesy of Golf Channel's Ryan Lavner and CBS Sports' Kyle Porter, Hatton broke his club Friday out of anger:
Hatton shot a two-over 72 in Thursday's first round before following it up with an even-par 70 in the second round. That left him just short of the projected one-over cut line.
The 29-year-old native of High Wycombe, England, entered the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich in hopes of winning his first career major title.
Hatton has recorded top-10 finishes in three of the four majors during his career, including a tie for fifth at the Open Championship in 2016 and a tie for sixth in 2019.
Ranked 10th in the world, Hatton has won six times on the European Tour during his career.
He also has one PGA Tour win to his credit, prevailing in the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational by one stroke over Marc Leishman.
Hatton may one day add a major title to his resume, but it is unlikely to happen at the 2021 British Open, and he came to that realization Friday.
Bryson Dechambeau Apologizes for Saying Driver 'Sucked' in Open Championship Round 1
Jul 15, 2021
US golfer Bryson DeChambeau watches his iron shot from the 1st tee during his first round on day one of The 149th British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's, Sandwich in south-east England on July 15, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
On Thursday afternoon, a frustrated Bryson DeChambeau told reporters his Cobra Golf driver "sucks" after shooting a 1-over 71 during the first round of the Open Championship at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England.
He quickly apologized for those comments, however:
DeChambeau went off when asked how he felt about his opening round.
"If I can hit it down the middle of the fairway, that's great, but with the driver right now, the driver sucks," he told reporters. "It's not a good face for me, and we're still trying to figure out how to make it good on the mishits. I'm living on the razor's edge, like I've told people for a long time. When I did get it outside of the fairway, like in the first cut and whatnot, I catch jumpers out of there and I couldn't control my wedges."
Cobra Golf tour operations manager Ben Schomin was not pleased with those remarks, telling David Dusek of Golfweek that multiple people at the company are constantly "bending over backwards" to get the optimal driver for DeChambeau and that it's "really, really painful when he says something that stupid.”
“He has never really been happy, ever," he added, pertaining to DeChambeau's opinion of his driver. "Like, it’s very rare where he’s happy,”
Then he compared DeChambeau to "an 8-year-old that gets mad at you."
"They might fly off the handle and say, ‘I hate you.’ But then you go. ‘Whoa, no you don’t.’ We know as adults that they really don’t mean that and I know that if I got him cornered right now and said, ‘What the hell did you say that for,’ he would say that he was mad," Schomin said. "He didn’t really mean to say it that harshly. He knows how much everyone bends over backwards for him, but it’s still not cool.”
DeChambeau hit just four of 14 fairways on Thursday, as his "bomb and gouge" approach failed him. He's focused on gaining strength and fitness as his career has progressed, allowing him to hit monster shots off the tee.
When it works, it's a viable strategy—DeChambeau won the U.S. Open in September, has two wins overall this season and six top-10 finishes. He's currently the No. 6 ranked golfer in the world. At 27, he's one of the game's top players.
But he was clearly frustrated with his performance on Thursday. And his club sponsor sure wasn't pleased with his initial choice of scapegoat.
