It would have been understandable if Collin Morikawa felt a bit uneasy seeing Scottie Scheffler’s name at the top of the leaderboard late on Sunday at Pebble Beach.
Morikawa had gone over a year without a win, with his last one coming at the 2023 ZOZO Championship. He had come close several times since then, but just couldn’t quite finish it off.
Scheffler hadn’t played himself out of contention until Sunday. It was another event where he bounced back from a slow start, although it didn’t lead to a win this time.
In the end, Morikawa held his nerve to finish one shot clear of Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka, while Scheffler ended up tied for fourth – his worst result of the season so far.
Scottie Scheffler gives Collin Morikawa his due following Pebble Beach victory
Morikawa’s win came during a big week off the course as well. Shortly after the tournament, he and his wife announced they’re expecting their first child this year.
It was a nice moment for him, and ahead of the Genesis Invitational, Scheffler said he was genuinely happy to see Morikawa getting both a win and some good personal news at the same time.
“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 has played pretty consistent golf. And then 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 prep just starts again.”
Morikawa holds slight edge over Scheffler at Riviera
Across the early part of their careers, Riviera has quietly become one of the courses where Morikawa holds a narrow edge over Scheffler.
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.
Morikawa, meanwhile, finished runner-up at Riviera in 2022, two shots behind Joaquin Niemann. Both players have two top-10s in six starts at Pacific Palisades.
Still, given recent form, you’d expect Scheffler to finish higher this week. It’s been nearly a year since he finished outside the top 10 in any event.
As for Morikawa, he should take some time to savour his Pebble Beach victory. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if his sharpest golf isn’t quite there just yet.
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