KAPALUA, Hawaii — Jon Rahm left Maui with a trophy he wasn’t anticipating, all due to a collapse from Collin Morikawa nobody noticed coming.
Rahm began the ultimate spherical of the Sentry Match of Champions seven pictures behind. He bogeyed his first gap. He was six pictures again on the flip to Morikawa, who had but to make a bogey the whole week at Kapalua.
“Little bit of a loopy day, I am not going to lie,” Rahm stated.
A wild hour featured a seven-shot swing in 4 holes when Rahm ran off three straight birdies and an eagle, and Morikawa, taking part in two teams behind him, made three straight bogeys on holes the remainder of the sector collectively performed in 44-under par.
It ended with Rahm making one final birdie for a 10-under 63 and a two-shot win over Morikawa (72), who went from a positive victory to a footnote in PGA Tour historical past because the ninth participant to lose a six-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical.
“It may harm, however I’ve bought to recover from it as a result of we’re nonetheless within the very early components of the season,” Morikawa stated.
So started the daring new yr on the PGA Tour of elevated tournaments that common $20 million in prize cash in a bid to carry the most effective collectively extra usually and reward them amid the problem of Saudi-funded LIV Golf.
Rahm is driving an enormous wave, successful for the third time in his previous 5 begins worldwide.
“In my thoughts, I really feel like since August I have been the most effective participant on the earth,” he stated.
For Morikawa, it was an epic wipeout even by Maui’s requirements.
He nonetheless was three pictures forward when he bladed a 25-yard bunker shot over the 14th inexperienced and made bogey. On the par-5 fifteenth, his 5-wood leaked simply sufficient proper to go down the slope and depart his a frightening chip, up the hill with the sturdy grain of grass into him. He muffed the chip and took bogey. After which on the sixteenth, his wedge wasn’t lengthy sufficient and rolled off the false entrance of the inexperienced some 70 toes from the pin for a 3rd straight bogey.
“He nonetheless shot 63,” Morikawa stated. “He undoubtedly made the birdies when he wanted to. However I additionally made bogeys. Whenever you’re getting bogeys at the moment of the match they’re pricey. I undoubtedly felt the load of that.”
He wound up tying a PGA Tour report for shedding the biggest 54-hole lead at six pictures. Eight different gamers have completed that, most lately Scottie Scheffler on the Tour Championship final yr. That occasion has a staggered begin to par primarily based on FedEx Cup standings. For normal stroke play, the final event was Dustin Johnson in 2017 on the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
He additionally turned the primary participant in tour historical past to enter the ultimate spherical with a lead of 6 or extra strokes, shoot beneath par within the remaining spherical and fail to win the occasion, per ESPN Stats & Data analysis.
Morikawa appeared to be in a state of shock as he walked down the seventeenth fairway, main by as many as seven pictures in the course of the remaining spherical and instantly discovering himself two pictures behind and operating out of hope.
Rahm was stunned, too. He knew he was again within the sport, and as he walked down the seventeenth fairway and seemed on the video board, he noticed his image on the display screen with a “1” subsequent to his place — not even a “T1” to point a tie.
Rahm stated he seemed over at caddie Adam Hayes and stated, “What is going on on?”
It was the second such collapse by Morikawa in just a little greater than a yr. He closed out 2021 on the Hero World Problem and had a five-shot lead with an opportunity to achieve No. 1 on the earth with a victory. He shot 76 and completed fifth.
YearPlayer, TournamentShots2023Collin Morikawa, Match of Champions62022Scottie Scheffler, Tour Champ.62021Jon Rahm, Memorial6*2017Dustin Johnson, HSBC Champions62012Spencer Levin, Waste Management62005Sergio Garcia, Wachovia Champ.61996Greg Norman, Masters61983Hal Sutton, Anheuser-Busch Classic61969Gay Brewer, Diplomatic Classic61928Bobby Cruickshank, Florida Open6* Withdrew earlier than remaining spherical (COVID)– ESPN Stats & Data
Masters champion Scheffler had an opportunity to return to No. 1 this week if he completed in a two-way tie for third or higher. He needed to accept a 70 and tied for seventh.
Rahm completed at 27-under 265, and it was a small measure of redemption. Final yr he completed at 33-under par at Kapalua, which was a PGA Tour report that lasted only some seconds. Cameron Smith completed at 34 beneath to win by one.
Rahm now could be 60 beneath in his previous two appearances at Kapalua. The victory was his ninth on the PGA Tour and seventeenth worldwide, and assures he shall be again on Maui to start out 2024.
He received $2.7 million from the $15 million purse at Kapalua, the primary of the “elevated” occasions on the PGA Tour schedule. He additionally will get 25% of his Participant Impression Program bonus cash — he completed No. 5 within the PIP for $6 million.
The Spaniard now has received in every of his seven full years on the PGA.
Tom Hoge had a 64 and tied for third with Max Homa (66). Hoge headed for the airport to go to Los Angeles to observe his faculty, TCU, play for the faculty soccer nationwide championship in opposition to Georgia. Hoge then will return to Hawai’i for the Sony Open.
Data from The Related Press was used on this report.
