Golf: Morikawa surges to six-shot lead at Kapalua
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Collin Morikawa hands his club to caddie Jonathan Jakovac after making birdie on the 16th green during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – Simplicity is the key to success for Collin Morikawa, as he fired an eagle and six birdies on Saturday to push his lead at the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions to six strokes heading into the final round.
The two-time Major winner put on another stellar display on the greens of the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua in Hawaii as he remained the only player in the elite field without a bogey for the week.
His eight-under 65 gave him a 24-under total of 195 – six shots clear of world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, reigning US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and J.J. Spaun.
“It’s been pretty simple today,” Morikawa said.
“Over the past three days, where I’ve been looking is kind of where the ball’s been going.”
Scheffler, who could regain the world No. 1 ranking from Rory McIlroy with a top-three finish,
England’s Fitzpatrick had five of his seven birdies on the back nine in what he called a “stress-free” seven-under 66 and Spaun shook off two back-nine bogeys to card a 69.
It was a further stroke back for fifth-ranked Spaniard Jon Rahm, who carded a 67, and South Korean Kim Joo-hyung, who signed for a 68.
American Max Homa climbed the leaderboard with an impressive 10-under 63. His 10 birdies included five in a row from the 12th hole and left him tied on 203 with South Korea’s Im Sung-jae (65).
“I definitely saw the scores,” Morikawa said. “I think by the time we got to five, Max had been I think around seven, eight-under. That’s what this course is going to provide.”
Morikawa started the day with a two-shot lead.
He rolled in an 11-foot eagle putt at the fifth and followed with a 19-foot birdie at the sixth, making the turn 20-under after an 11-foot birdie at the ninth.
He rolled in a tense eight-footer to save par at the 10th before three straight birdies from the 14th.
The American birdied the par-five 18th, where he opted to putt from off the green and sent the ball 15 feet past the hole but made the putt coming back.
Scheffler, who shared second with Spaun to start the day, drained a 40-foot eagle putt at the fifth, but lost ground with a bogey at the next.
He rallied with back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10th, but would find just one more birdie coming in at the par-five 15th.
Morikawa, who won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship, is ranked 11th after a 2021-22 campaign in which the 25-year-old did not post a victory. His last PGA Tour win was his triumph at Royal St George’s in July 2021.
He could not only end the drought on Sunday – results were unavailable at press time – but also collect an impressive winner’s prize of US$2.7 million (S$3.6 million).
As the first of the PGA Tour’s 17 “elevated events” for 2023, the tournament boasts a purse of US$15 million – more than US$6 million higher than in 2022.
The increased purses are a response to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series
For Morikawa, however, it is all about returning to the winner’s circle. Describing him as “hungry” for a victory “would be an understatement”, he said.
“Every time you’re in these positions (it’s about) just winning the golf tournament,” he added.
“I don’t care about anything else. I want to win.”
AFP
