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Morikawa makes history with incredible win at The Open

GLYN KIRK / AFP / Getty

Collin Morikawa etched his name into the golf history books on Sunday with a two-stroke victory over Jordan Spieth in the Open Championship at Royal St. George's.

The major victory is Morikawa's second of his young career after claiming the 2020 PGA Championship last August. According to the Twenty First Group's Justin Ray, Morikawa is the first player in men's golf history to win his debut in two different major championships.

Spieth fired a final-round 66 to make things tight down the finish, but Morikawa's clutch putting saw him match the 27-year-old and prevail in southeast England.

Third-round leader Louis Oosthuizen closed with a 1-over 71 to finish tied for third with World No. 2 Jon Rahm.

Place Player Round 4 score Total to par
1 Collin Morikawa 66 -15
2 Jordan Spieth 66 -13
T3 Jon Rahm 66 -11
T3 Louis Oosthuizen 71 -11
5 Dylan Frittelli 68 -9
T6 Brooks Koepka 65 -8
T6 Mackenzie Hughes 69 -8
T8 Dustin Johnson 67 -7
T8 Robert MacIntyre 67 -7
T8 Daniel Berger 68 -7
T8 Scottie Scheffler 71 -7

While the 24-year-old is known as the best iron player in the world, Morikawa showed the full variety of shots in racing out to a 3-under 32 on the front nine. The California native rarely found trouble, but a tidy short game and incredible putting kept him bogey-free over his final 31 holes at Royal St. George's. Morikawa's reputation as a stone-cold closer is well-earned after going bogey-free over the final 23 holes last August to win at Harding Park.

Spieth certainly did his best to push Morikawa while hoping to claim his second career Open Championship, rebounding from a 2-over start through six to go 6-under over his final 12 holes. While he ultimately came up short, the Texas-born golfer tied Phil Mickelson for the lowest finish by a runner-up in the history of The Open. Any questions about where Spieth stands on the world stage have fully been answered with two top-3 finishes in majors this season.

Unfortunately for Oosthuizen, Sunday's result was a familiar scene in major championships. With his third-place showing, the 38-year-old now has nine different top-5 finishes in major championships with just one win to show for them.

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