Collin Morikawa, 23, Talks Historic PGA Championship Win: That Feeling of 'This Is Your Time'

"For me, it was just, 'Okay, let's get off to a really good start and let's make something happen,' " Morikawa recalls. "There were so many guys, nothing was ever going to be given to you that day. You had to make something happen."

"I just felt like I was prepared. Yes, I felt in the zone, but I was just so focused on every single shot, every single hole," he adds. "There was never a comfortable lead until really, my last putt dropped."

If there was still a golf fan unfamiliar with Morikawa before Sunday, they surely knew him by the end of it — with the win, Morikawa now sits No. 2 in the FedExCup standings and No. 5 in the world rankings.

While there weren't many fans invited to the championship due to coronavirus restrictions in California, Morikawa did have his longtime girlfriend, Katherine Zhu, there to support him.

"I was just very happy about, happy to have my girlfriend there," Morikawa says of Zhu, who he's dated for three years after they met in college. "She has been my rock."

"To have her there, to be in the moment, I was just very grateful and happy that she got to watch," he continues. "I couldn't be more thankful to have her by my side … It was just a very, very good place to win my first major."

But he also had another fan in attendance — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who playfully asked Morikawa a few questions during a press conference after the win.

"Steph coming and supporting golf, what he's done for the game already — he's not just a basketball player, he's an amazing human being," Morikawa says of Curry, who is usually on the golf course when he's not on a basketball court. "To come out to support and watch us is really cool."

(Morikawa does proudly note that he's a fan of his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, though.)

Next up, Morikawa will be competing in the Northern Trust Tournament in Boston on August 17, the first tournament of the PGA TOUR’s three-part FedExCup Playoffs. This is followed by the BMW Championship in Chicago, then the TOUR Championship in Atlanta at the end of the month.

"The goal is obviously to make it to Atlanta, and to win Atlanta and become the number one player for the entire season," Morikawa says of what he hopes to accomplish after his life-changing victory. "I'm going to enjoy this win for the next few days, but we've got a lot to focus on in the next few weeks."

But if there's one thing golf fans were shown Sunday, it's that Mirokawa's time has indeed come.

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