2021 British Open: Collin Morikawa wins the 149th Open Championship; full leaderboard (2024)

Collin Morikawa is the 149th Open Champion.

The 24-year-old from California, playing in his first British Open, dominated the field on Sunday with a 66. He finished the week at 15 under, two strokes ahead of Jordan Spieth. Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen finished tied for third at 11 under.

Oosthuizen began the day at Royal St. George's with the lead at 12 under, one stroke ahead of Morikawa. But Morikawa flipped the leaderboard on No. 7 with a birdie and an Oosthuizen bogey, and never looked back. Spieth made charges throughout, but Morikawa had 14 pars and four birdies. He simply never gave anyone else a chance.

The 2020 PGA Champion, Morikawa has now won two majors in his debut appearance in each. And he’s done it both times coming from behind in the final round.

Final round leaderboard

Collin Morikawa -15

Jordan Spieth -13

Louis Oosthuizen -11

Jon Rahm -11

Dylan Frittelli -9

There was no driving of the green on Sunday for Collin Morikawa, no one shot reminiscent of his daring tee shot on No. 16 at Harding Park 11 months ago that bounced to within seven feet of the green and clinched for him the PGA Championship.

No, in winning the 149th Open Championship and making The Open his second career major months after his 24th birthday, Morikawa just hit … all of the shots. He hit the fairway 71.43 percent of the time. He got on the green in regulation 77.78 percent of the time. Morikawa was tied for 124th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting this season, the one true weakness in his game, and he was first this week at Royal St. George’s.

He went the final 31 holes without a bogey, finishing Sunday with four birdies and 14 pars. He was 15 under for the week, two strokes ahead of Jordan Spieth. For the second time in the past year, Morikawa came from behind on Sunday to win a major championship.

We will look back on this COVID-influenced major timeline for years and be in awe of the streak of major championships we have seen. All the big guys. Dustin Johnson. Jon Rahm. Phil Mickelson. Bryson DeChambeau. Hideki Matsuyama. And Collin Morikawa, the only man in the world to win two of them.

When the 2020 PGA Championship began 11 months ago, it kicked off an unprecedented, condensed run of seven men’s professional major championships in 346 days. When it started, golf fans knew it would become a line of demarcation in the timeline of this sport. As it ended, it may have become one for an entirely different reason.

Collin Morikawa is the Champion Golfer of the Year after a stellar bogey-free Sunday round of 66 at the British Open. What was witnessed at Royal St George’s is an historic occurrence in the history of golf, and potentially just the beginning of so much more.

Here are the top notes to know from the 149th Open:

The wow stat we'll all be talking about is Morikawa going 31 straight holes without a bogey to finish the tournament. But what can't be overlooked is what he did with his flat stick compared to where he's been this year. Really the only dicey component to Morikawa's game this year is the fact that he is ranked 172nd on the PGA Tour in putting.

Not this week. At Royal St. George he averaged 1.54 putts per green in regulation, which was basically a statistical tie for best in the tournament with a few folks at 1.53. For a player who is typically brilliant tee to green, Morikawa dialed in with the putter is pretty scary.

If you hear a question on whether Jordan Spieth is "back" or not, the person asking is probably not watching a lot of golf.

On January 31st, Spieth was ranked No. 92 in the world according to the OWGR. After shooting -13 at Royal St. George this week for a (probably) solo second-place finish, he'll likely start next week inside the top 20, and more importantly, you can make a case that he's been the best golfer on the planet week in and week out over the last six months.

Is he The Champion Golfer of the Year? Almost. Is he back? He has been for a while.

There are four players left on the course. Collin Morikawa is a burgeoning American star. Jordan Spieth is one of the biggest stars in the game. Louis Oosthuizen is a fascinating story.

And we’re going for commercial breaks. We’re playing through, confining the golf to a tiny sliver of the screen. We’re plugging the Olympics. We’re doing everything but showing the actual golf, or laying out so we can hear those player/caddy conversations as they labor over potential career-making shots.

I knew it would be this way. I promised myself I wouldn’t get mad. But … C’mon. You can do better.

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Jordan Spieth's hot streak still can't stop Collin Morikawa. After a slick up and down at 15, Morikawa is 3 holes away from his second major championship victory.

Collin Morikawa -1000

Jordan Spieth 6-1

Louis Oosthuizen 100-1

Collin Morikawa has just always answered the bell.

His par putt on No. 15 is just the latest, keeping him at 15 under, two strokes ahead of Jordan Spieth and four in front of Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen.

Those are some serious players chasing Morikawa, in his first Open Championship. And yet over the last nine holes (since he took the lead on No. 7) Morikawa has played brilliantly, holding everyone off.

Believing that this is Collin Morikawa’s Open to lose?

Not so fast, Jordan Spieth says. He just birdied No. 14 moving himself to 13 under, just one strike behind Morikawa. Spieth went out in 34, but has birdied three holes (including No. 13) to get himself in a great position for this final four-hole stretch.

Collin Morikawa could bookend this 11-month stretch of seven men's majors with wins, having won the 2020 PGA at TPC Harding Park.

Years from now, the COVID-induced gap in the major schedule will be a notable void. It also might be looked at as what immediately preceded a legendary career.

Morikawa's iron play is extraordinary — he leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach by miles — but his putter has been excellent in his two best major performances. At the 2020 PGA, he led the field in strokes gained putting. He's currently the leader at The Open in putts per G.I.R.

Robert MacIntyre had a terrific weekend in his second Open appearance. MacIntyre made the cut on the number (1 over) after rounds of 72-69 on Thursday and Friday. He shot 65-67 on the weekend, and had six birdies in the final round Sunday.

And from colleague Andrew DeWitt:

Robert MacIntyre needs 90 FedExCup points to become eligible for Special Temporary Membership on the PGA TOUR.

Scenarios for The Open:

• 4-way tie for 7th
• 6-way tie for 6th
• 9-way tie for 5th or better
• Currently T7 with four players after 65-67 on the weekend.

Collin Morikawa has finished up the front nine with birdies on three straight holes, moving to 14 under and taking full control of the Open Championship. That’s a 32 on the front nine for Morikawa.

Jordan Spieth is three shots behind and in solo second.

• He would be the first player in men’s golf history to win his debut in two different majors.
• He would be the first player since Bobby Jones to win two majors in eight or fewer starts.
• He would be the second player to win The Open and the PGA before age 25 (Tiger Woods).
• He would be the third player to win two majors when trailing entering the final round before age 25 (Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus).
• He would be the youngest player to come from behind on Sunday to win The Open since Seve Ballesteros in 1979.

It’s been a bit of an adventure, as most Jordan Spieth rounds are, but he’s finished the front nine with a 34, moving himself to 10 under and in a tie for second with Louis Oosthuizen. They’re three strokes behind Collin Morikawa, who just birdied No. 8.

Spieth got into the red for today with a birdie on No. 9, a wiggler that had to feel good to drop in after yesterday’s struggles on the green.