Pebble Beach, California– collin morikawa It had been 28 months since his last win, and on Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am he was reminded why it never gets easy.
He was one of six players who had a share of the lead at one point in the final round. a name, Scotty SchefflerWas attracting everyone’s attention, as he almost pulled off the biggest comeback in the history of the tournament.
Tuffer was still standing in the fairway on the par-5 18th, the cool Pacific breeze whipping the ocean to his left, and had to wait about 20 minutes jacob bridgman He had to figure out how to play off the beach so that his shot went into the ocean.
Morikawa said he went out to sea and back about 10 times.
“I tried to think about something else besides golf,” he said. “Thankfully, you had the best background you could ask for, so it was very easy. For me, it was how do I stay free, how do I stay warm and not just think about the shot.”
Morikawa delivered the goods when it mattered, with back-to-back birdies to take the lead, and one last birdie with a 4-iron from 235 yards had him starting over the sea wall and letting the wind blow it back to the green.
Two putts from the collar gave him a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory. sepp straka And min woo lee.
“Great field, great leaderboard – been looking at it all day,” Morikawa said. “And to be able to pull off those last two shots, it feels great.”
The two-time major champion finished at 22-under 266, equaling the lowest win over 72 holes at the event (Brandt Snedeker2015). He has advanced 45 times since last winning the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023.
He can only hope for bigger things with a new outlook on golf – play the game for enjoyment, not technique – and in life. Morikawa announced such a huge victory on this occasion He and his wife are expecting their first child This spring.
“There is so much in life, so much to enjoy,” he said.
Morikawas are expecting 🤗
There’s no better time to make the announcement! pic.twitter.com/yklxM40MnL
– PGA Tour (@PGATOUR) 15 February 2026
Scheffler started the final day eight shots behind and was 7 under through seven holes before the wind blew. He had three eagles in his round of 63, including a 30-inch eagle with a 6-iron on the last hole that helped him take the lead over Morikawa.
Morikawa said, “I was well aware of Scottie Scheffler’s score today. I mean, what a player.”
Scheffler didn’t think that would be enough, and it wasn’t.
Moments later, Morikawa hit a 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to take the lead. He holed a 6-iron into 8 feet for another birdie. But a bogey on the par-3 17th – his tee shot was dangerously close to the sea on the left side of the green – and Lee finished birdie-birdie with a 65 for another tie.
As for the drama throughout, it was especially tense on the par-5 18th as Morikawa waited. And waited. It was 20 minutes from hitting his tee shot to hitting his 4-iron, which made the wait long considering what was at stake.
“I was able to make a great 4-iron,” he said. “And man, I need a drink.”
Akshay BhatiaLeading by two shots at the 54-hole mark, made only two birdies in his final 29 holes. He fell out of the lead after four holes and never recovered, finishing three times behind with a score of 72.
Scheffler was 10 shots behind after the first day when he shot 72. At one point on Friday he was 13 shots behind. He still managed to be a major threat. He finished tied for fourth place tommy fleetwood (66), extending his starts in the top 10 to 18 on the PGA Tour.
He became the first player in Tour history to have three eagles in a round at Pebble.
“I had to do something special to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “On the back nine, I felt like I had to get to 21 or 22 (under). I played a little more aggressive than usual. It was a fun day overall. These are weeks I’m proud of. I felt like I was fighting to give myself a chance.”
His regret was that a nail was hit in the back pin on the 15th, about a foot away from the back turn. He bounced hard over the green. He jumped to 6 feet and missed the par putt.
Morikawa worked his way into the mix on Saturday with a 62 to get within two shots of Bhatia, and he did just fine to stay close – six players had a share of the lead at some point during the final round – until reaching the end.
The Cal alumnus won for the seventh time on the PGA Tour after turning professional a week before the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The victory in Pebble takes him to number five in the world.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
