Collin Morikawa to debut new irons at Hero World Challenge

CROMWELL, Conn. – They settled into seats at the same table to share the same spotlight in a prelude to the same tournament, the Travelers Championship. Then again, that should not have felt out of the ordinary. After all, if it feels as if Matthew Wolff, Justin Suh, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland have shared the amateur golf stage for years, it’s because they have. “It’s really cool to see us out here,â€� said Wolff. Nodding in agreement, Morikawa said, “I think it all brings us to the same point.â€� Related: Featured Groups | Hovland signs with Ping | Wolff brings unique swing to Travelers | What’s in Wolff’s bag? At a tournament that is heralded for the way in which it extends playing opportunities to up-and-coming players, the Travelers Championship outdid itself this year. Berths were extended to Oklahoma State teammates Hovland, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, and Wolff, the recent winner of the NCAA Championship; Suh, the University of Southern California standout who won eight collegiate tournaments; and the University of California’s Morikawa, who recently finished T-14 at the RBC Canadian Open in his pro debut. It will serve as the pro debut for Hovland, who has been low amateur in the Masters and U.S. Open this year, and Wolff, while Morikawa turned pro two weeks ago in Canada and Suh made his pro debut at the Memorial Tournament a few weeks ago. So, while these young stars – Morikawa is 22; Suh and Hovland are 21; Wolff is 20 – are toeing the starting line together as professionals, take note that they surely feel as if they’ve been racing together for years. In fact, Morikawa smiled when he looked out at the assembled audience and noticed Shari Wolff. He waved to Matthew’s mother. “It’s good to see his mom back there. Haven’t seen her since, I think Cabo (the Cabo Collegiate in Mexico) where she rode in a cart with us. That was a great week for us.â€� Listening to these four young men speak on the eve of the Travelers Championship, it sounds like there have been a lot of great weeks for them. In so many ways, the ways their paths have intersected provide great depth to their friendships. Suh, Morikawa and Wolff share California roots. Suh and Morikawa first met in local AJGA tournaments, while Morikawa (La Canada) and Wolff (Westlake) went to high schools north of Los Angeles that did not compete against one another in the same league, but served to introduce the players. Wolff recalled seeing Morikawa play for the first time, at North Ranch CC in Thousand Oaks. “He shot 70 and I think I shot 75 or 76,â€� said Wolff. “It was a hard day. I was just kind of blown away by it.â€� Morikawa remembers where he was when he heard that Suh, who hails from San Jose, had committed to USC. “We were in San Diego at an AJGA (tournament),â€� said Morikawa, smiling. “Just really cool to see us grow, even though we switched paths from southern California.â€� Which isn’t to say that Hovland doesn’t factor into the storyline, even though he was born and raised in Oslo, Norway. “Or California 2.0 as we call it,â€� laughed Hovland, whose infectious personality has captivated media members who met him at Augusta and last week at Pebble Beach. “The golf community is so small over there and when you do well and you think you’re big time, because everyone is talking about you.â€� Turns out, Hovland had the international observers talking about him, too. Wolff, for instance, remembers seeing this kid who wasn’t wearing a golf hat, “just Oakleys on, just a really European look,â€� he said, laughing. A few seats away, Hovland laughed, too. He remembered. “I met (Wolff) that week and figured out, ‘Wow, there is a bunch of good guys out here,â€� said Hovland. Morikawa was T3 in that AJGA Thunderbird tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., while Hovland was tied for seventh and Wolff joint 10th. They have plastered their names to the tops of collegiate and amateur leaderboards ever since, and none of them are entering this PGA TOUR phase devoid of confidence that it will continue. Asked if they’d be surprised if they won this week, they took turns and took different ways to share the same answer. No.

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Update on February 26: LOS ANGELES - Tiger Woods is "recovering and in good spirits" after receiving further procedures on the injuries he suffered in a single-car accident earlier this week. Woods underwent unspecified follow-up procedures at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after being transported from the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Wednesday night. Cedars-Sinai has catered to professional athletes on numerous occasions due to a renowned Sports Medicine Institute and a rehabilitation program for sports-related and orthopedic injuries. "Tiger has moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and received follow-up procedures on his injuries this morning. The procedures were successful, and he is now recovering and in good spirits," a statement on Woods' twitter account said. "Tiger and his family want to thank you all for the wonderful support and messages they have received over the past few days. We will not have any further updates at this time. Thank you for your continued privacy." RELATED: TOUR players, sports world, celebrities wish Woods well Update on February 24: Tiger Woods suffered significant injuries to his right leg and remains hospitalized after a single-car accident in Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday morning. The 82-time PGA TOUR winner underwent surgery after suffering comminuted open fractures to the upper and lower sections of his right leg along with significant trauma to his ankle. "As previously communicated, Tiger was involved in a single-car accident earlier (Tuesday) morning in California. He has undergone a long surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle after being brought to the hospital," a statement on Woods' Twitter account from the TGR foundation team read, before passing on an update on his condition from the hospital. "Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a level one trauma center," Dr. Anish Mahajan, Chief Medical Officer & Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center added. "Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle was stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling." The statement closed by confirming Woods is in recovery. "He’s currently awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room. Thank you to the wonderful doctors and hospital staff at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department and the Fire Department. Your support and assistance has been outstanding. "There are no further updates at this time and we continue to thank you for your well-wishes and privacy for him and his family." Woods, who was in town to host The Genesis Invitational last week, was driving alone in an SUV when his vehicle rolled over while traveling northbound on Hawthorne Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said via statement earlier Tuesday. "On February 23, 2021, at approximately 7:12 AM LASD responded to a single vehicle roll-over traffic collision on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes. The vehicle was traveling northbound on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road, when it crashed. The vehicle sustained major damage," the statement read in part. "The driver and sole occupant was identified as PGA (TOUR) golfer Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods. Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreck ... then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries." The Sheriff's Department said Woods was conscious when first responders reached his side and was calm and lucid. He was extricated with the help of a Halligan tube (pry bar) and an axe to get him through the front windshield before being transported to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "He was alive, and he was conscious. There was no evidence of impairment at the scene," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, the first to respond to the scene, confirmed Woods was wearing his seatbelt. "The fact that he was wearing his seatbelt, I would say, it greatly increased the likelihood it saved his life." Gonzalez said. PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan said the entire TOUR community had Woods' well-being in their thoughts. "We have been made aware of Tiger Woods' car accident today. We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery. On behalf of the PGA TOUR and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers," Monahan said via statement. The 45-year-old Woods stayed back after the tournament to film GOLFTV content that included giving celebrities golf lessons - actors David Spade and Jada Pinkett Smith were among those who tweeted about their encounters on Monday prior to the accident. On Sunday Woods told the CBS broadcast he was unsure of when he would return from his recent back surgery, a fifth such procedure since April 2017. The last time he played competitive golf was with his son Charlie in December's PNC Championship. "I’m feeling fine," Woods said Sunday. "I’m a little bit stiff. I have one more MRI scheduled so that we’ll see if the annulus (fibrosus) is scarred over finally and see if I can start doing more activities. But still in the gym, still doing the mundane stuff that you have to do for rehab, the little things before I can start gravitating towards something a little more.”

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LAS VEGAS — Rory McIlroy capped off a big weekend in Las Vegas on Sunday by surging past Rickie Fowler and holding off Collin Morikawa to win THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT for his 20th PGA TOUR title. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Rory McIlroy, THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT McIlroy seized control with a 35-foot eagle putt from just off the green on the par-5 14th and then playing mistake-free down the stretch for a 6-under 66 and a one-victory. McIlroy is the 39th player to win at least 20 times on the PGA TOUR, and it’s his fifth straight PGA TOUR season with at least one win. Fowler, who started the final round with a two-shot lead as he tried to end nearly three years without a victory, faded with a pair of three-putts and shot 71 to tie for third. The threat came from Morikawa, a member at The Summit Club, who shot 29 on the front to get in the mix and closed with an eagle for a 62. That forced McIlroy to play mistake-free after his big eagle putt on the 14th, and he never came close to a bogey in finishing at 25-under 263. “It is a big carrot,” McIlroy said of the 20 wins. “I didn’t know it would be this week.” He went into the weekend nine shots out of the lead, made up plenty of ground with a 62 on Saturday and then pulled away by taking advantage of the scoring holes. It was similar to his first win on the PGA TOUR in 2010 at Quail Hollow. McIlroy was nine shots behind going into the weekend at that tournament and closed with rounds of 66-62 to win. Morikawa was watching from the balcony overlooking the 18th green to see if he would get a chance for extra holes, though it was asking a lot for McIlroy to drop a shot on the par-5 closing hole. McIlroy laid back off the tee, played short of the green and hit wedge to the back pin to assure a two-putt par and another trophy. Part of him was sparked by a disappointing Ryder Cup, when he didn’t win a point until Sunday singles when it was too late and was choked up with emotion talking about it. He wanted to get back to his roots as a player, and it worked out just fine against a strong field that allowed McIlroy to move from No. 15 in the world to back among the top 10. “Being me is enough,” he said. “Being me can let me do things like this.” Keith Mitchell, who had a five-shot lead going into the weekend until a 73 in the third round, closed with a 67 and tied for third with Fowler. Fowler was poised to end a 32-month drought by starting the final round with a two-shot lead and looking as though he was intent on finishing it off. He made an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 4 that became a two-shot swing when McIlroy had a careless three-putt bogey. That began to change on the par-5 sixth. From the middle of the fairway, Fowler pulled a fairway metal into the desert, took a penalty drop, and then three-putted from 35 feet for a double bogey. McIlroy made birdie and just like that they were tied, along with others further along in the round. Talor Gooch holed out for eagle on the par-5 18th for a 62. Morikawa went out in 29 and was tied for the lead. Robert Streb also was tied for the lead at that point at 21-under par. McIlroy and Fowler in the final group were tied at 22 under going to the back when Fowler made another mistake. McIlroy was looking at potential bogey, coming out of a fairway bunker well short of the green on the 10th and facing a tough flop shot over another bunker to a tight pin. Fowler had 18 feet for birdie. McIlroy hit to inches away for par, while Fowler gunned his birdie chance some 5 feet by the hole and missed that for a three-putt bogey. Fowler never caught up. Morikawa ran out of momentum. Sure, he closed with an eagle that forced McIlroy to play mistake-free over the final four holes, but the Open champion failed to take advantage of birdie chances on the reachable par-4 12th and the par-5 14th with an iron from the fairway. “Whenever you shoot 62 you’re always going to be pleased,” Morikawa said. “But I thought I left a few out there, especially with some putts. But overall I’m very pleased the way this last 18 went, especially at a course that I’ve played a lot. I felt very comfortable and it’s a good way to start the season.”

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