US PGA Championship: Collin Morikawa wins to deny Paul Casey the first major

The American Collin Morikawa emerged from a stacked ranking and won the 2020 US PGA Championship after a faultless final in San Francisco.

The number 12 in the world carded a six-under-64 in TPC Harding Park and reached 13 under in only his second major.

England’s Paul Casey had two hits in a draw with Dustin Johnson after a 66.

Like Morikawa, Matthew Wolff was another unannounced American who rose through the field on Sunday, shooting a 65 to land to 10 under.

He finished fourth with Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau, all of whom carded the ’66 on a thrilling final day, which mocked concerns about how competitive the first major of the year without fans would be.

Englishman Justin Rose carded a 67 to end a shot further back after being three behind the lead overnight, along with fellow countryman Tommy Fleetwood, who slipped to three.

Two-time defending champions Brooks Koepka was two times behind Johnson in the finals, but stumbled upon a four-over-74 win and also ended up on three under.

Morikawa steals the show

En route to the final day it was all about yet another possible match between Johnson and Koepka after Koepka held his Ryder Cup teammate back to win last year US PGA.

And Koepka stepped up their friendly rivalry by belittling Johnson’s lone big win after day three, adding, “I like my chances. If I was in this position before I capitalized.”

But Koepka didn’t take the ranking into account because the show was stolen by another American, one who is in his sophomore year on the PGA Tour.

Notably, Morikawa has more wins on the tour than missed cuts, finishing second in the Charles Schwab Challenge the previous June Won the Workday Charity Open last month.

He didn’t appear on the radar until day three at Harding Park, just 20 miles from his college degree from the University of California at Berkeley, firing a 65 to set two off the lead.

However, when Johnson tried to hold off the chase, Morikawa went into the fight with three birdies on his first 10 holes.

Then he got a birdie on par four 14 and became the first man to hit 11 under. Despite Casey, he hit the shot of the week from the 16th tee.

Morikawa hit the par 4 to within three feet, holding the nerve sinking the eagle putt to be on the verge of becoming the ninth player to win the US PGA on his debut and the first since Keegan Bradley that year 2011.

“It’s amazing,” said Morikawa, who grew up in Los Angeles. “As a little kid watching all these professionals, it was always what I wanted to do.

“I felt very comfortable from the start, as an amateur, junior golfer who turned pro last year. But to finally end it and get out here in San Francisco, pretty much my second home, where I’ve been for the past four years it’s pretty special. “

Casey continued to wait for his first major

Morikawa was four years old when Paul Casey celebrated his first European Tour victory in 2001. Since then, the Englishman has rarely dropped out of the top 50 in the world.

There was never any doubt about his ability, it was whether he could produce when it really mattered – a great mastery.

The 43-year-old has not yet won a Players Championship or World Golf Championship, let alone a major. His previous best was third at the 2010 Open.

Still, he remains one of the most consistent players on the tour and after two wins last year he traveled to San Francisco as number 28 in the world.

After a first lap of 68 he said he felt more confident with Caddy John McLaren back on the bag and after finishing lap third from the lead there was real belief that this might be his time.

Three birdies from his first 10 holes led Casey to become England’s first U.S. PGA championship winner since 1919 – and the oldest first-time major winner since 1967.

But he dropped a shot on the 13th after overcooking his approach, and though he responded with two more birdies, Casey graciously said that Morikawa deserved the win after that “glorious” tee shot.

“If you hit it that pure, it really doesn’t matter” – what they said

Paul Casey: “I’ve played wonderful golf, but Collin really deserved it. I mean what a shot he hit on 16, just fantastic golf. There is nothing you can do but tip your cap on it.

“I’m very, very happy. It was a great week, a strange week when the fans were obviously missed.”