WORKDAY CHARITY OPEN

July 12, 2020

Collin Morikawa

Q. That was a hard-fought victory. You now have more victories than missed cuts on the PGA TOUR. What did this battle take? What did it mean to you? How did you do this, pull it out of yourself?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was crazy. I got off to a really good start, and thinking back, 75 holes is a lot more than 72 for sure, especially the last three in sudden death. I just knew I had to go low. Justin wasn't going to give it to me. He was fighting throughout the entire day, even with those two bogeys at the beginning, and I just wanted a chance coming down the stretch, gave it, and I'm excited right now. I'm so happy.

Q. Just a month ago I had to do a difficult interview with you following a missed three-footer following a playoff at the Charles Schwab. Talk about how you feel right now.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I'm excited. I'm happy. Those three holes were a grind, obviously Justin making that birdie putt on that first playoff hole, I had to make it, or else we go home again. I just got a little more comfortable throughout the playoff, and I think it just took me a little time. Two Playoffs now, and finally got one done. But Justin is an awesome player. He was one of the first people that kind of helped me when I turned pro last year in Canada, so I owe a lot to him. I'm super happy I closed it out after those first two days.

Q. There's some who question your putting. As you know, your putting stats are improving, but you made 24 birdies this week and two eagles, a huge eagle that I thought really jump started your round on the opening nine.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, it was huge to make that eagle on 5. I just felt really good on the greens. Putter looked really good over setup, and it gave me a lot of confidence to go stroke the ball on the target. A lot of positives from this week.

Q. I want to talk first about regulation. You had a three-shot lead over Justin and you lost that lead, and as you approached the final three holes, what was your attitude in trying to catch Justin?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Well, I knew I had three holes to go. If I had chances for birdie on every single one of them, maybe put some pressure on him, you don't know what he's going to do. I hit a good shot on 16, hit probably the best putt I've hit all week. Never went in. It's going to happen.

Got lucky on 17, made that putt. And then 18 got away with that last, whatever, two and a half, three-footer that went in the hole. So it doesn't matter now.

But yeah, I just wanted a chance and had a chance from the start, got off to a really good start. Justin kind of went away from that little 9 through 12 stretch, and I just had to stay there.

Q. Talk about the playoff; when you saw Justin throw in that 50-footer and you topped him, what were you thinking standing over that putt knowing you needed that putt to extend the playoff?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It just had to go in. There was nothing else. If it missed, I missed. Thankfully Justin kind of had a shorter putt on that line in regulation, and I knew it kind of drifted off to the right at the end. That's what the greens book said, as well. Yeah, it was a good putt.

Q. I want to go back to Colonial. You missed a short one to extend the playoff with Daniel Berger and I talked to you immediately after that missed putt and you said, "I'm going to learn a lot from this." Did the education of that moment benefit you today?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Definitely. You know, I still -- I don't think I was as comfortable as I wish I could have been on that first hole, but by the time we played that second hole playoff, I was very comfortable, and that's the most important thing out here being on the PGA TOUR a year and a half in is being comfortable. How many times can you put yourself in a playoff spot like this? But I finally felt comfortable on that second playoff hole, and I knew if I just kept going at it, we'd just keep putting pressure on him.

Q. You win at Jack's golf course, you reel in one of the best players on the planet. What did this do for your confidence as you try to climb the ladder of the world stage?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I mean, it's huge. We've got a few more weeks left of the full regular season until the Playoffs, and after that missed cut, I learned a lot. I came out fresh. I had a nice week off, and I'm ready. I'm ready to compete with these guys. I think every single week my game feels like it's there, and just a lot, a lot of positives, but I'm just really happy right now.

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