Morikawa wins Barracuda Championship for 1st Tour title
Collin Morikawa earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Barracuda Championship on Sunday, edging out Troy Merritt by three points in the Modified Stableford-scoring event.
The 22-year-old, who turned professional in June, collected 14 points in Round 4 to clinch the title in only his sixth Tour start. He birdied four of his final five holes - worth two points each - to storm past Merritt in Reno, Nev.
He ended the week with a total of 47 points.
Prior to Sunday's win, Morikawa had tied for fourth at the John Deere Classic and was the runner-up at the 3M Open. He's made the cut in all six of his events, including the U.S. Open.
He joins Matthew Wolff as recent first-time winners who made their professional debuts this season.
Morikawa is also just the fifth player to ever be No. 1 in the world amateur golf rankings and then win on the PGA Tour before turning 23, according to the 15th Club's Justin Ray. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, and Jon Rahm are the others.
With the win, the former California Golden Bear climbs to 90th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Modified Stableford scoring system:
- Double-eagle: 8 points
- Eagle: 5 points
- Birdie: 2 points
- Par: 0 points
- Bogey: -1 point
- Double-bogey or worse: -3 points