Collin Morikawa took a putter from Kurt Kitayama’s brother after Nelly Korda's one didn't work for him. He used it at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and won $3.6 million. Sometimes golf is just that simple.

The two-time major winner finally ended his 28-month winless run at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on February 15, 2026. He finished at 22-under par and earned his seventh PGA Tour title. However, Morikawa's victory came only after he changed his putter.

Morikawa had been having trouble with the wide TaylorMade putter that Nelly Korda used to win the HGV Tournament of Champions weeks earlier. It just wasn’t working.

So when he saw another putter during a game with Kurt Kitayama, Kitayama’s brother Daniel, and Min Woo Lee before the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he decided to try it straight away.

"I had gone all week, the last two weeks with a different blade style of a putter," Morikawa said in his post-round press conference at Pebble Beach. "Actually, the one Nelly Korda won with, I believe,e two weeks ago. This is a wide TaylorMade blade. I was putting up with it, didn't make anything."

That day, Daniel Kitayama was using his brother Kurt’s putter. On the 13th hole, Morikawa asked if he could try it.

Morikawa shot a 62 on Saturday, putting him in a strong position. His final round finished the job. He birdied holes 15 and 16 to pull ahead of a crowded leaderboard, which included Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 63 with three eagles to get back into contention.

A bogey on 17 tied Min Woo Lee with Morikawa, leaving just the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach. After nearly 20 minutes on the tee, Morikawa hit a 4-iron to the fringe and two putts later, made birdie. It was his first win since October 2023.

Collin Morikawa on Keeping the Putter

When someone asked Morikawa if he would return the putter to Kurt Kitayama, he gave a clear answer.

"I don't know if he's going to want it back. He looked at it again this week. I think he's trying to replicate it with maybe a different club or whatever," Morikawa said. "But it's mine now."

Well, it looks like Kitayama can try all he wants, but that putter isn't coming back to him.

However, Morikawa's win was about more than the club. He spent most of 2025 looking for answers, changing his swing, and overthinking every shot. Finally, his coach, Rick, told him to stop trying to be perfect and just play golf.

"I think I've been trying to make golf so perfect, trying to hit these shots and trying to make these putts in a certain way that maybe others are doing it that you forget how to play the game of golf," Morikawa admitted.

Saturday was the turning point. He stopped stressing about his score and just played golf.

"I caught myself today, even after the bogey on 5, I was like, man, I love being in this position like I hadn't felt that in such a long time," he said.

The win came with happy personal news, too. Morikawa and Katherine announced they are expecting their first baby.

The losing streak is over. Confidence is back. And Kurt Kitayama’s putter? Morikawa is keeping it!

Now do you think Kitiyama and his brother should ask for a share of Morikawa's $3.6 million winning prize.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Souvik Roy