While he originally hails from Southern California, Collin Morikawa already has left an impression in the NorCal region.
While at Cal-Berkeley from 2015-2019, Morikawa rang up 22 Top 5 finishes and was Golfweek's Men's Golf National Player of the Year (2017-18).
There too, of course, was his win at the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park.
So how sweet would a win at Pebble Beach Golf Links at this week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am feel?
"It would be amazing. It's one of those courses that you want to
check off the list for when you do retire at some point later on in life," said Morikawa, who is playing Pebble Beach Golf Links this week for the first time since the 2019 U.S. Open. "Knowing that I do have a connection to Northern California, it's one that I'd love to win. I realize I haven't played here in the past and that's just kind of
scheduling-wise, format-wise, all this stuff. But I'm here. I'd love to check this off the box. There's only a handful of places around -- on our schedule that, you know, when I look
back I want to say that I won, and this is definitely one of them.
As for getting in the right vibe for the week, Morikawa spent Monday evening having dinner with two-time L.A. Lakers champion Pau Gasol. Gasol, a member at Sharon Heights Country Club in Menlo Park, is making his second straight appearance in the Pro-Am portion of the AT&T.
"He's (Gasol) awesome, I got to meet him a couple of years ago and we had a great time," Morikawa said. "It's just a lot of fun to see other athletes, how much they love golf. It's so much
fun because they've caught the bug and they want to go and play."
Whether or not the two compete as a team together, we'll find out Wednesday when the pairings are released.
