Collin Morikawa just ended a nearly three-year winless streak at Pebble Beach. Still soaking in the moment after the win, Morikawa was walking through the Champions Club when a bright display caught his attention.

Morikawa realized his name would go up alongside Mark O’Meara’s on the champions' plaque. "Right next to MO. How special is that?" said the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner, and immediately facetimed O’Meara.

During the call, O’Meara offered his perspective on handling success. 

"You are so young, you have done so much. You're going to have these speed bumps in your life. We will have them going forward, too. You know what? It's not bad because all it does is keep you motivated," the three-time PGA Tour winner told Collin Morikawa.

The 29-year-old ended his nearly three-year winless stretch on February 15, securing his seventh PGA Tour title with victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Reflecting on the performance that ended Morikawa’s drought, the 69-year-old praised his composure, saying, "Your day-to-day on a golf course like that, hitting the shots that you hit. Very impressive, bud. I am super jacked."

Morikawa closed with a final-round 5-under 67 and reached 22-under par overall. Consequently, he finished one stroke ahead of Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka.

Their bond goes beyond a shared champion's plaque, as Mark O’Meara has remained a trusted mentor to Collin Morikawa.

How Mark O’Meara’s Mentorship Helped Collin Morikawa

Morikawa and Mark O’Meara share a mentor-mentee relationship, as O’Meara has provided input that supported Morikawa on the tour.

In early 2021, when Collin Morikawa was sturggling with his putting, O’Meara came to the rescue. The veteran introduced the PGA Tour pro to the “saw” grip.

After speaking to O'Meara for about an hour at The Summit Club, Morikawa started using the grip in competition.

However, putting wasn't the only thing O’Meara guided Morikawa on. He spoke about wedge distance control and its role in approach play, especially on courses like Augusta National. Although it took some time for the Pro to adapt the technique, the results showed up eventually.

"I’ve never thought about putting or golf this much in my life, because it felt so good. It just felt so different on how I was putting that I knew I was heading down the right path," Morikawa said as per The Golf Channel.

He later won the 2021 WGC-Workday Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. Now, Collin Morikawa is back in the winners' column.

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Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi