DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 21, 2021

Collin Morikawa

Jumeirah Golf Estates

Quick Quotes

Q. Let's talk about winning the DP World Tour Championship. You've been saying all week you're focussed on winning the championship not just The Race to Dubai. How you've been so in familiar style. How sweet is this moment?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It feels so good. I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't watching what Matt Fitzpatrick was doing today. Boy, did he put on a run. Props to him. Made a lot of birdies early on.

But it's 18 holes. All I needed to do was catch a spark. I feel great right now. Winning the DP World Tour Championship, coming here last year, my first time to Dubai, really special.

Q. Which were the big moments to you?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: To be honest, I don't know. Starting off with six pars, especially with some birdie holes, wasn't fun. I felt hike I was hit something good shots and I wasn't getting the breaks I needed. The putts weren't dropping and I just told myself when I looked at the leaderboard after nine that I was still in there and I was still two or three back at that point and I just needed one spark.

After parring 10 and 11, after I told myself, you shouldn't have done that; I knew something had to change. And 12, got a great break, thinning my second shot, made the putt, and that got the momentum started.

Q. Describe the adrenaline, both championships on the line coming down the last few holes.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, I just kept telling myself to focus and I was excited for this moment. I was telling everyone, the nerves are there but I'm excited. I channelled that nervous energy into excitement and I wanted to keep hitting good shot after good shot and no matter where my ball is going to be, just going to find a way to somehow put it in the hole and putts started dropping, and that's always fun.

Q. How proud to be the first American to win The Race to Dubai and end of the season be European Tour's No. 1?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It's special, it's an honour, really, to be the first American to do that on The European Tour to put my name against many, many great Hall of Famers, it's special. I get touched up just talking about that.

Like I said, two years ago, it wasn't my thought. It was, yeah, let's go play around the world but we didn't know what the cards were going to be dealt. To have this chance and finally close it out, and not just closing it out with a top 10 or something, but to actually win the DP World Tour Championship, which concluded with the Race to Dubai, not a better way to finish -- what a great way to finish.

Q. This year you've won an Open Championship, your first World Golf Championships and now your first Rolex Series; and you've become an Olympian and you've become The Race to Dubai. Try and sum up how that is.

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Pretty good. Yeah, look, the way my head is wired, I'm always looking for what's next, but I'm going to try to enjoy this one. This one is special; it's at the end of the year. I've got one more event left, but I'm going to try to enjoy this one as much as I can.