SANDWICH, England (AP) — Collin Morikawa gazed adoringly at the claret jug, thrust it into the air and then gave it a kiss, a two-time major champion at age 24.
This time there were people to cheer him.
The American closed with a bogey-free 4-under 66 and won the British Open in his debut Sunday, becoming the first player to win two majors on the first attempt.
His victory 11 months ago in his PGA Championship debut came in the first major with no spectators amid the pandemic. It was a very different scenario for Morikawa as he made one of the greatest walks in golf down the 18th fairway at Royal St. George’s, first to applause and then to a standing ovation.
After tapping in for par to win by two shots over Jordan Spieth, he gave a fist pump before applauding the spectators in the huge grandstand around the 18th green, part of a crowd of 32,000 people that made for the biggest gallery in golf since before the coronavirus pandemic.
Morikawa is halfway to the career Grand Slam after eight starts and the first player since Bobby Jones in 1926 to win two majors in so few appearances. He follows Gene Sarazen, Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Spieth in winning multiple majors before turning 25.
His total of 15-under 265 was a 72-hole record in 15 British Opens at Royal St. George’s. Spieth finished with a 71.
Starting the final round one shot behind Louis Oosthuizen, Morikawa was tied for the lead after four holes and then made three straight birdies on Nos. 7-9 to overtake the South African, who hadn’t trailed since the 12th hole of his second round.
Louis Oosthuizen finished with a 71 tie for third at 11 under with Jon Rahm (66), the U.SD Open winner who returned to No. 1 in the world.
PGA TOUR
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Seamus Power won the Barbasol Championship for his first PGA Tour victory, beating J.T. Poston with a tap-in par on the sixth hole of a playoff.
Poston drove into the water that lines the right side of the par-4 18th at Keene Trace and made a bogey on the final extra hole. Power hit the fairway, played his second to 12 feet and two-putted for the victory.
Power birdied the par-3 16th and the 18th in regulation for a 5-under 67, with the 34-year-old Irishman posting at 21-under 267 while Poston was squandering the lead behind him.
Poston had a double bogey on the par-5 15th after driving an inch out of bounds to the left, and followed with a three-putt bogey on the par-3 16th. He parred the final two holes for 70.
On the first extra hole, Power holed an 18-foot birdie chip from the collar of the 18th green and Poston matched him with a 10-foot putt. They matched pars on the next four holes, on No. 18 again, then twice on the par-3 17th, and again on 18.
KORN FERRY TOUR
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Taylor Moore won the Memorial Health Championship to wrap up a PGA Tour card.
Moore followed a course-record 11-under 60 on Saturday with a 6-under 65 to finish at 27-under 257 at Panther Creek, three strokes ahead of Erik Barnes (68).
The 27-year-old Moore jumped from 17th to sixth in the season standings with his first tour title, more than enough to guarantee a top-25 finish for a PGA Tour card.
Andrew Novak was third at 23 under after a 63.
OTHER TOURS
Matilda Castren won the Gant Ladies Open in her native Finland to earn Ladies European Tour membership and become eligible for the European Solheim Cup team. Castren closed with a 3-under 68 to finish at 5 under at Aura Golf in Turku. She became the first Finnish winner in LPGA Tour history last month when she won the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in Daly City, California. Fellow Finn Ursula Wikstrom (69) and India’s Tvesa Malik (69) tied for second at 2 under. … Emma Broze of France won the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic in Rochester, New York, for her first Symetra Tour title when rain washed out the final round. She had rounds of 67 and 65 at Brook Lea to beat Rachel Rohanna by a stroke. … Wales’ Stuart Manley made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th to win the Euram Bank Open in Austria for his third Challenge Tour victory. Manley shot his third straight 5-under 65 to finish at 18 under at Adamstal, a stroke ahead of Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson. … Maiko Wakabayashi won the Japan LPGA’s GMO Internet Ladies Samantha Thavasa Global Cup, beating Mao Nozawa in a playoff. … Jeon Ye-seong won the Korean LPGA’s Evercollagen Queens Crown. She beat Heo Da-bin in a playoff.
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