BRADENTON, Fla. — The plan was for PGA champion, Collin Morikawawore a red shirt and red pants on Sunday to show support for Tiger Woodswho is recovering from career-threatening leg fractures following a car accident.
The clothes shipped to him never arrived, so Morikawa opted for a plan b at the Workday Championship.
He played like him.
Leading by two shots, Morikawa recovered from an early mistake to regain control, hitting two crucial shots before clinging to the lead at a Concession Golf Club notorious for calamities.
As Woods has often done, Morikawa forced his rivals to go after him. No one could, and his three-under-par 69 was enough to earn him a three-shot win at his first World Golf Championship.
“It really means a lot to have been able to finish with such a big group behind me, no matter how good a day I had,” Morikawa said.
He became the 24th player to win both a major tournament and a World Golf Championship title, and the 24-year-old Californian joined Woods as the only golfers to win both before the age of 25.
Woods was 23 when he won the first of his 18 World Golf Championship titles.
Morikawa, who hit 18-under-par 270, won for the fourth time in his last 34 PGA Tour appearances. He finished three shots ahead of Brooks Koepka (70), Viktor Hovland (67) and Billy Horschel (70), who played with Morikawa in the last group and witnessed a superb performance that made it difficult for them to try to catch up.
