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PGA Tour golfer Collin Morikawa kisses his wife Katherine Zhu on the 18th green after his winning putt during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2026.
Collin Morikawa’s won in more ways than one by capturing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in his home state of California on Sunday.
Just 24 hours after Valentine’s Day and nearly two and a half years since his last win on the PGA Tour (Zozo Championship, 2023), Morikawa eked out a one-stroke victory on a golf course he has idolized since his childhood.
Then, after a tearful embrace with his wife Katherine Zhu on the 18th green overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Morikawa made a monumental, and unexpected, life announcement on the CBS broadcast.
“Put golf aside, you know, we’re actually expecting [a child] later this year — in a few months — and we just started telling people this week,” Morikawa explained. “And we said, ‘What a better way, and the best way to just announce it to the world if I was able to come out and win.’”
“You know there’s so much to life, there’s so much to enjoy,” he continued. “And I’m hard on myself, like I talked about yesterday. But I’m just so thankful for the people around me. My team, Kat my wife, my parents, my brother. I’m speechless right now.”
Win at Pebble Beach Has Extra Significance for Collin Morikawa
GettyGolfer Collin Morikawa of the United States.
The victory at Pebble Beach Golf Links, situated on the Monterey Peninsula in Northern California, was the seventh Morikawa’s career. He has also captured two major championships since becoming a professional in 2019.
The 29-year-old now occupies the third-place spot in the FedEx Cup Standings approximately one and a half months into the new PGA season.
Morikowa’s victory required a 22-under score for the event, including a 10-under 62 in the third round on Saturday, during which he hit every single green in regulation to come roaring back into the mix. He played in the final group on Sunday and held off the competition with a five-under 67.
Morikawa claimed $3.6 million of the tournament’s $20 million total purse for his first-place finish, but was more enamored with the trophy he is taking home from the iconic American golf course.
“[Winning] was never in the dreams, honestly,” Morikawa said. “Pebble Beach was always — it was a course that you just wanted to come and play. You wanted to come and play against the pros and play against the best in the world.”
Collin Morikawa Faced Serious Pressure, Long Delays Down Stretch of Pebble Beach Pro-Am
GettyGolfer Collin Morikawa of the United States.
Nothing on Sunday was simple, as Morikowa held a two-shot lead heading into the 17th hole. He missed the green left on the par-3 and failed to get up and down from deep rough, making bogey to drop back to 21-under.
Meanwhile, Min Woo Lee of Australia nailed a birdie putt on the 18th to move into a tie with Morikowa entering the clubhouse.
Then, Morikowa was forced to wait for several minutes on the tee box for the group ahead of him, as high winds made for slow going on the 18th hole. After ripping his drive down the middle of the fairway with a chance to strike the par-five green in two shots, Morikowa again had to wait — this time nearly 20 minutes in between his first and second shots.
“I knew what I had to do,” Morikowa said. “I think I paced all the way to the ocean, like, 10 times at least — I just had to keep moving. It’s weird to say, but these like long breaks, it’s just not good for anyone to stand still.”
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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