{"id":3540,"date":"2026-02-26T21:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/?p=3540"},"modified":"2026-03-04T20:28:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:28:47","slug":"collin-morikawa-stopped-chasing-perfection-and-rediscovered-how-to-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/26\/collin-morikawa-stopped-chasing-perfection-and-rediscovered-how-to-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Collin Morikawa Stopped Chasing Perfection and Rediscovered How to Win"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two weeks ago, Collin Morikawa stood on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links, waiting nearly 30 minutes to hit what would become the most important shot of the last 848 days. When he finally stepped up with a 4-iron in hand, he didn\u2019t think about technique. He didn\u2019t think about the wind ripping off the Pacific. He just played golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That approach is what ended a drought that stretched back to October 2023. Morikawa, a two-time major champion and seven-time PGA Tour winner, birdied the 18th hole to claim the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by a single shot. His third Tour win in his home state of California. And the one that, by his own account, taught him the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The win wasn\u2019t a runaway. Scottie Scheffler, the world\u2019s No. 1 player<\/a>, shot a final-round 63 with three eagles. Sepp Straka eagled the 18th just moments before Morikawa stepped to the tee. Min Woo Lee birdied the same hole. For a stretch, it looked like another near miss, the kind Morikawa had experienced too many times over the previous two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this time was different. And the reason why is worth revisiting, especially now as the PGA Tour builds toward April\u2019s Masters, where Morikawa, armed with new clarity, heads as a genuine contender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaning Into Childhood<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his post-round press conference at Pebble Beach, Morikawa offered a window into what finally shifted. It wasn\u2019t a swing change. It wasn\u2019t equipment. It was a mindset shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve been trying to make golf so perfect,\u201d Morikawa said. \u201cTrying to hit these shots and make these putts in a certain way, that you forget how to play the game of golf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He traced it back to childhood. Growing up in California, playing Chevy Chase Country Club as a kid, dropping three balls on a single hole just to see what happened. That version of the game \u2014 creative, instinctive, joyful \u2014 was what he\u2019d spent the last few years moving away from in pursuit of technical perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went to go play golf,\u201d he said of his approach over the final two rounds at Pebble Beach. \u201cI caught myself today, even after the bogey on 5, I was like, man, I love being in this position. I hadn\u2019t felt that in such a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That kind of self-awareness, recognizing what was missing and naming it out loud, is rare at any level of sport. At the elite level, where athletes are often reluctant to show vulnerability, it\u2019s even rarer. Morikawa didn\u2019t blame bad luck or bad breaks. He owned the mental drift and corrected it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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