Collin Morikawa won his first PGA Tour title since 2023 with a dramatic one-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where Scottie Scheffler threatened a historic comeback.
Morikawa started two games behind Akshay Bhatia on Sunday and fell further behind with a slow start to the final round at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where tee times were brought forward due to the threat of inclement weather.
The two-time major champion reached the turn at 34 and, after a 10-foot birdie on the 11th hole, made consecutive gains on the 15th hole to take a two-stroke lead and climb to the top of the crowded leaderboard.
Colin Morikawa has won his first PGA Tour title since October 2023.
Morikawa recovered from a bogey on the par-3 17th hole, made a birdie on the final par-5, and tapped in from close range to shoot a 5-under 67, finishing at 22 under par, ahead of Lee Min-woo and Jeff Straka.
Scheffler’s round of 63 tied him for fourth with Tommy Fleetwod, and his 18th consecutive top-10 finish on the PGA Tour came as Rory McIlroy finished his title defense with an 8-under 64 to finish in 14th place.
How Scheffler Threatened a Historic Resurgence
Scheffler was 13 and 8 shots behind the midway lead heading into the final day, hitting a 15-footer on the first hole, eagling the next par-5 and then hitting another shot on the par-4 third to climb up the leaderboard.
He saved par by holing from 15 feet on No. 4 and made an eagle on the par-5 6th before canceling out a birdie with a bogey on No. 4 and missing a birdie opportunity on the 30th hole on the front nine.
Scheffler has not ranked in the top 10 on the PGA Tour since The Players in March.
Scheffler briefly took the lead with a series of birdies starting from the 10th hole, then bogeyed the 12th hole and bounced back with a par on the next hole, and the world No. 1 took advantage of the par 5 14th hole to move into a tie for the lead.
A poor bogey on the 15th hole cost him the next two holes, so Scheffler called for an eagle on the final hole, and he delivered after firing a spectacular iron shot to within 3 feet of the hole.
“I had to do something special today to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “I was playing a little more aggressive than usual, so I had a few bogeys.
“I felt like I was fighting all week to give myself a chance and have a chance for something special to happen today and get in the clubhouse.”
Morikawa blocked the crowded leaderboard.
When Scheffler recorded his eagle finish, three other players were still on the course at 20 under par, with Morikawa, Jacob Bridgeman and Sam Burns having played five, four and three holes, respectively.
Morikawa went back and forth on the green, hitting scrambled pars on the 13th and 14th holes, then holing in from 30 feet on the par 4, and then making birdie with a bogey on the par 3.
Colin Morikawa Victory Numbers
Lee birdied four of his final six holes to take the clubhouse to 21 under par and move level with Morikawa. Morikawa had to wait 19 minutes for his approach shot on the final par 5 as the leading group struggled to finish the hole.
After finding the right edge of the green and puttingt from the fringe to the target, Morikawa won his first PGA Tour title since the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023.
Morikawa’s final round scorecard
Lee joined Straka at 21 under par after the Austrian played his final three holes at 4 under, while Fleetwood birdied four of his last six holes to join Scheffler by two strokes.
“I continued to believe in myself,” Morikawa said. “It felt impossible at the beginning of the week, but with the right steps and faith, I was able to put one foot in front of the other and hit some great shots and make some great putts.”
Burns briefly led after six birdies in the first 13 holes, but a bogey on the par-3 17th left him tied for sixth with overnight leader Akshay Bhatia. Bridgeman bogeyed two of his last three holes to fall to eighth place.
McIlroy had eight birdies in his only bogey-free round of the week, including four birdies in five straight holes on the front nine, and the world No. 2 (five shots behind) was pleased with his busy performance on the PGA Tour season.
Rory McIlroy shot rounds of 68, 67, 72 and 64 to defend his title, winning last year’s event by two strokes.
“I had a couple of devastating tee shots yesterday, but everything seems to be in pretty good shape,” McIlroy said. “But overall it’s been a really good week and I’m really excited to go into next week.”
What’s next?
The PGA Tour will be in California for another of its signature events, the Genesis Invitational, with the Tiger Woods Foundation hosting the event at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.
Ludvig Åberg returns as the defending champion. Early coverage was shown live on Sky Sports Golf from 3.15pm on Thursday, with full coverage from 9pm. Get Sky Sports now or stream with no contract.
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