Morikawa’s Open supremacy looks ominous for Europe’s Ryder Cup bid
Predicting the outcome of a Ryder Cup based on preceding major championships can be an ill-advised process. Francesco Molinari had just won the Open when Europe hosted the US in Paris three years ago but the visitors were firm favourites by virtue of six major wins from the previous eight. The Europeans duly prevailed comprehensively.
Pádraig Harrington, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, looked concerned enough with his playing of the Open’s closing 36 holes in four over par long before Collin Morikawa lifted the Claret Jug on Sunday. Harrington would never say this publicly – even if Europe tend to revel in the role of underdog for the biennial joust – but the nature of Morikawa’s latest triumph looked ominous in respect of Whistling Straits in September. The 24-year-old sits atop the US Ryder Cup qualification table. Jon Rahm, the US Open champion, has returned to No 1 in the world but eight Americans and a South African complete the top 10. Stars and stripes sit alongside 14 of the top 20.
Viktor Hovland’s leap to 11th in the world will please Harrington ahead of what will surely be a Ryder Cup debut but Rory McIlroy, who looks woefully out of sorts, has slipped to 15th behind Jordan Spieth. Meanwhile Tommy Fleetwood’s tie for 33rd at the Open was his best major finish of the year. To rub salt into European wounds, Morikawa currently leads the order of merit on this side of the Atlantic.
Royal St George’s and an extraordinary Open debut proved once more that Morikawa is the fastest learner in golf and, for now at least, the finest iron player. That Whistling Straits is almost European in style has been viewed as a benefit to Harrington but that is surely offset by the emergence of yet another American star.
The setting will not faze Morikawa. “He is a special kid,” said the Californian’s caddie, JJ Jakovac. “I am lucky to have him. He plays like he has been out there 100 times. It just goes to his mental strength and his maturity. You add the freakish ball striking to his absolute cold-stone demeanour, to being very comfortable in all the situations and you get someone who is very special. He seems to perform better in big spots.” In other words, look out Europe.
Morikawa’s post-college rise to fame is more striking in context of a pandemic-affected golf calendar. Since the summer of 2020 there have been seven majors, of which Morikawa has won two. He also took delivery of a World Golf Championship in Florida in February and a standard PGA Tour event last July in Ohio. “You try not to listen to everything when you have a rookie or it’s your rookie year or it’s your debut,” he explained. “Sometimes that gets to people.
“I heard Brooks [Koepka] say at the Travelers Championship, which was my third PGA Tour event as a pro, that he was there to win. When he first turned pro he was there to make cuts. Then he went to top 30s and top 20s and top 10s. From that day I just switched to, let’s go out and win.”
In an era where power and distance seems to determine so much, Morikawa is a throwback. His mid-iron dispersion ranges are the same as his rivals produce with wedges. Just as fascinating is his on course demeanour, which rarely, if ever, changes. Morikawa is calmness personified. “I really need to sit down and talk to my coach on how to reassess the entire year,” he added. “I’m not going to throw everything into the trash and just say: ‘OK, I am a completely different person,’ but goals have to change. I want to finish on a strong note in the season. I’m going to sit down, when things slow down hopefully, and try and embrace that and figure out what’s next.” When Morikawa tees up at the Masters next April, he will be seeking the third leg of a career grand slam.
Some light relief for Harrington arrives in the form of Shane Lowry edging into the automatic Ryder Cup spots after his strong performance at St George’s. A share of 65th at the US Open is the outlier for Lowry; he was 21st, 4th and 12th in the other majors of 2021.