Collin Morikawa Earns Validating Win In Japan, LIV Golf Wants Exemptions Into The Open, Captain Bryson DeChambeau's Sneaky Great Year
It was a tough weekend for golf fans in North America who actually wanted to watch live coverage with the PGA Tour in Japan this week for the Zozo Championship and LIV Golf doing LIV Golf things on an NFL Sunday, but just because most of us didn't watch the action doesn't make it any less significant.
Yes, the Zozo Championship is a no-cut, Fall event but Collin Morikawa finding the winner's circle validated the correct opinion that he's very much still one of the best players on the planet.
Collin Morikawa is back in the winner's circle, but his game never left him. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Speaking of one of the best players on the planet, Bryson DeChambeau put together one of the sneakiest great years we've seen in a while. Brooks Koepka was undoubtedly LIV's best player in 2023 given he won this year's PGA Championship, but DeChambau very much has a case for being runner-up in those rankings I very much just made up.
With the LIV season officially wrapping up after this weekend's team championship, the focus now turns toward the very unknown future of professional golf. LIV does seem to have something on its wish list, however, and it includes The Open.
Collin Morikawa Isn't Back Because He Never Really Left
We unfairly judge golfers. For some reason, we measure them like we do other professional athletes and only focus on wins. When it comes to major championships golf fans certainly note Top 10s or runner-up finishes for players, but not so much when it comes to the grand scheme of a full season.
Many would say that Collin Morikawa has been in a slump for the last 23 months given his last victory heading into this past weekend was the 2021 DP World Tour Championship.
When you look at it from the viewpoint that Morikawa went 700 days without winning a tournament - after winning four times including two majors in a year's time - it's easy to say he's 'fallen off a bit' or 'struggled' over the last two years.
In reality, Morikawa has been incredibly close to breaking through multiple times while earning millions of dollars and ranking 10th in the entire world in strokes gained over the last 23 months (H/T Status Update).
In 19 starts on Tour a year ago, Morikawa had eight Top 10s including a pair of runner-up finishes. For comparison, Jon Rahm also made 19 starts last year and earned eight Top 10s as well. Rahm earned one win, however, so his season was looked at as a success while most don't remember Morikawa's campaign at all.
Prior to earning his dominating six-shot win at the Zozo on Sunday, Morikawa had picked up six Top 10 finishes and a pair of runner-up finishes in 24 starts. He's also second on Tour this season in strokes gained: approach, fourth in tee-to-green, and 10th in strokes gained: total.
In 99 starts on Tour, Collin Morikawa has made 82 cuts, won six times, and finished inside the Top 10 on 33 total occasions. That's...elite.
Bryson DeChambeau, Take A Bow
LIV Golf may not have anywhere near the following the PGA Tour does, but I can confirm LIV players play the same sport and difficult golf courses as Tour players do, and Bryson DeChambeau had one helluva season.
DeChambeau earned a win at LIV Golf Greenbrier in August that was capped off with a final round 58 to win by six. A month and a half later he found the winner's circle yet again in Chicago with a final round 63. He wrapped up his season by captaining his Crushers team to a championship at LIV Miami on Sunday. Those are two legitimate solo wins and a team win in fewer than 15 starts.
Outside of LIV, DeChambeau's major championship season wasn't exactly terrible either. While many seem to have cast him to the side after he missed the cut at the Masters, he followed that up with a sneaky T-4 finish at the PGA Championship. He also finished T-20 at the U.S. Open in Los Angeles.
While it's entirely unfair to compare two LIV Golf wins to two PGA Tour wins, if DeChambeau's two wins came on Tour and you paired them up with a Top 5 at the PGA we'd be talking about what a solid season it was for the 30-year-old.
DeChambeau has long been one of the more interesting players in professional golf, but it's especially true heading into the new year.
LIV Golfers Getting Exemptions Into The Open Would Be Beyond Ironic
Speaking of LIV players and major championships, the Saudi-backed circuit is in an unprecedented spot at the moment. With LIV's bid for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points unanimously rejected earlier this month, many players have a near-impossible battle to earn a spot into the four major championships.
LIV, of course, would very much like for that not to be the case, and a recent report suggests the Saudi-backed circuit has surrounded the R&A and The Open.
Cam Smith won the 2022 Open Championship then bolted for LIV Golf shortly after. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
According to The Telegraph, LIV is in discussions with the R&A to try and ensure its players are granted spots in The Open.
LIV's COO Gary Davidson has been opining that the Top 12 golfers in the LIV standings should get an exemption into the year's final major.
"We’ve spoken in the past about direct exemptions for LIV players through our end-of-season rankings into the majors making sense. And maybe the top 12 would make sense," Davidson explained.
“We are investing significant resources into our sustainability programs, as are the R&A. We are going around the world with events looking to inspire people to put a club in their hands and be involved in the sport."
“Of course, the R&A are also involved in global development. So, there are a lot of different initiatives we can work with them on. Exemptions into the Open would be one of them," he continued.
It's safe to say nobody on the planet had 'LIV golfers earning automatic spots into golf's most historic major' on their bingo cards. During the 2022 Open at St. Andrews, the overwhelming majority of fans and media were crucifying any player who even muttered the words 'LIV Golf,' and now there may be a possibility players earn spots in the championship.
Follow Mark Harris on X @ItIsMarkHarris and also feel free to email him at mark.harris@outkick.com.