WINNING SCORE: 15-under-par, 265. 

EQUIPMENT CHOICE:

DRIVER: TaylorMade SIM with 8˚ loft, fitted with Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX shaft.

3 WOOD: TaylorMade SIM Titanium with 14˚ loft, with Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX shaft.

5 WOOD: TaylorMade SIM2 with 19˚ loft, with Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX shaft.

IRONS: TaylorMade P770 (4-iron), TaylorMadeP7MC (5-iron to 9-iron) and TaylorMade P730 (Pitching Wedge), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.

WEDGES: TaylorMade MG2 (50°), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (56˚-14˚ F Grind) and TaylorMade MG2 (60˚), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

PUTTER: TaylorMade TP Juno.

BALL: TaylorMade TP5.

FINAL LEADERBOARD

EQUIPMENT NOTES:

  • Winning in his first start as he did at the PGA Championship in 2020, Morikawa made a late change after a below average performance at the previous week’s Scottish Open in the area he is unquestionably one of the best practitioners in the game. The American is one of the elite iron players in the world but struggled with his short irons on the firmer and harder links turf. Normally opting for the blade P730 irons from TaylorMade in is 7-iron to pitching wedge, Morikawa changed them out for P7MC irons in the 7-,8- and 9-iron to match his mid irons after testing showed improved turf interaction lead to better contact and more spin created ideal distance control. “It was interesting, as he was warming up, the sound off the P730 was not Collin-like. It’s unique to say this, but it was just fractionally different to what I’m used to hearing. Then he goes into the P7MC and you can hear the strike come back,” TaylorMade's Adrian Rietveld said of Morikawa’s change that in part led to finding 75 percent of greens in regulation.
     

  • The 24-year-old made a significant putter change earlier this year that led to a WGC victory, but has since gone in another direction with the flatstick. One that clearly worked across Royal St. George’s where Morikawa’s putting looking as solid as ever. Removing the mallet from his bag that was in play in March, Morikawa went back to either the same or very similar putter he had in the bag to win his first major at Harding Park in 2020 and made another change this week. Morikawa’s blade Juno putter features a longer plumber’s neck that helps to minimise toe flow and make the putter more stable through impact like a mallet, a good combination with his saw grip technique. The World No.3 adding an extra 10 grams of weight to the head via the adjustable sole weights this week to help him deal with the slower green speeds across the links than he typically encounters week in, week out on the PGA Tour.
     

  • Despite being among the shorter, but straighter, hitters at the top level of the men’s game, Morikawa continues to favour the original SIM driver model from his sponsor rather than the new SIM2. Interestingly, perhaps in the search for distance, Morikawa has gone to a lighter version of his shaft of choice in the driver, but the 2020 model appears to be going nowhere fast.
     

  • Morikawa, who joins Tiger Woods as the only player to win the PGA and Open before turning 25, makes it four wins this PGA Tour season for TaylorMade golf balls, which have also been used to win three of the seven men’s majors played in 2020 and 2021.

QUOTE: “I changed my irons, my 9- through 7-iron that I normally have blades in. I changed to the P7MCs strictly because I couldn't find the centre of the face. I was hitting these iron shots last week at the Scottish Open that I just normally don't and my swing felt good, but it was a huge learning opportunity.” – Collin Morikawa via TaylorMade.