After going nearly 2 1/2 years without winning on the PGA Tour, Collin Morikawa just wanted to return to winning form.
No better place to do that than Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Morikawa tapped in a birdie putt on the final hole after a nifty shot from the fringe to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday in Pebble Beach, Calif.
“Pebble Beach was always a course that you just wanted to come and play,” Morikawa said. “You wanted to come and play against the pros and the best in the world. … I’m going to enjoy this one for sure. We’re at Pebble Beach, so I’m going to enjoy this one.”
Morikawa completed a 5-under-par 67 to finish the tournament at 22-under 266, winning by one stroke on Australia’s Min Woo Lee and Austria’s Sepp Straka.
Morikawa’s seventh victory on the PGA Tour marked his first since the 2023 Zozo Championship.
“I’m hard on myself,” Morikawa said. “I’m just so thankful for the people around me. Believing in myself. I never let go of that.”
On another windy and chilly day during this tournament, it was an adventurous final stretch for Morikawa, who took the lead with birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 before dropping back with a bogey on the par-3 17th hole. He had a long wait after his tee shot on the par-5 18th hole as the group in front of him finished on the green.
His second shot was alongside the green, but he rolled the ball to within 1 1/2 feet and then finished the job.
“Just to be able to pull off those last two shots from the tee and into this green, it feels great,” Morikawa said.
Lee posted a 65, surging up the leaderboard by playing the last six holes in 4 under. Straka had 68 on Sunday.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 63, featuring three eagles — the par-5 second, sixth and 18th holes — to finish tied for fourth at 20 under with England’s Tommy Fleetwood (66). He was in the clubhouse with a share of the lead before other golfers finished.
“These are the weeks when you look back, I’m very proud of sticking with it, not giving up even when I felt like things were going against me this week,” Scheffler said. “Just kept fighting, kept trying to hit shots, kept trying to execute.”
With two eagles and three birdies on the first seven holes and two more birdies to start the back nine, Scheffler surged toward the top of the leaderboard and within a shot of the lead. His bid appeared derailed with a couple of bogeys, but he hit an approach shot within 3 feet to set up an eagle putt on No. 18 and pull into a share of the lead.
“I had to do something special today to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I needed to get to 21 or 22 under, so I was playing really aggressive, a big more aggressive than maybe I normally am.”
Scheffler began the round eight strokes off the lead. He was aiming for his largest final-round comeback in a victory. He became the first golfer to record three eagles in the same round at the Pebble Beach Golf Links tournament since 1983.
Akshay Bhatia, who was the second- and third-round leader, settled for a 72 to share sixth place with Sam Burns (67) at 19 under.
Jacob Bridgeman (70) and Burns were at the top of the leaderboard earlier in the final round.
Bridgeman joined Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune (67), Columbia’s Nico Echavarria (67), Ireland’s Shane Lowry (67), Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (69) and Jake Knapp (71) at 18 under to share eighth place.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland had his best round of the tournament with a bogey-free 64, putting him at 17 under and tied for 14th place. Patrick Cantlay (65), Tom Hoge (68) and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (67) were also at 17 under.
The start of the round was pushed up because of weather-related concerns later in the day.
–Field Level Media
