Get a look at some past PGA Championship winners to see the evolution of golf style.
It’s PGA Championship week and the players are sure to bring their best game as well as their best outfits.
We’ve seen some exponential growth over the years when it comes to golf fashion as players have amped up their wardrobe with bold colors, prints and shoes.
From Brooks Koepka‘s color-blocking polo to Phil Mickelson‘s neutral tones, everyone has their personal flare added to Sunday’s wardrobe. Some players prefer to keep it simple and other’s look to make a statement, but all styles look good up against the Wanamaker Trophy.
Golfweek has rounded up photos of past winners to see the evolution of style through this major championship.
When Collin Morikawa took out drive at TPC Harding Park’s 16th tee, he separated himself from the pack and wrapped up his first major.
Here’s the deal.
Collin Morikawa is not of the mindset that a plaque should be planted on the tee box of the shortish par-4 16th hole at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco to memorialize his ‘Shot Heard ’Round the World’ in the 2020 PGA Championship.
This despite the drive on the hole that read 294 yards on the scorecard coming to rest just 7 feet from the flagstick. Despite the pressure considering he hit the drive when he was tied for the lead on an August Sunday in the first major championship played in the silence of a COVID-19 world. Despite the subsequent successful eagle putt all but cementing ownership of the Wanamaker Trophy and giving the Kid from Cal, a pup of 23 years at the time, his first major triumph and third PGA Tour title in just 29 starts.
And despite many in golf’s biosphere hailing the drive as one of the best shots ever hit not only in the history of the PGA Championship but in the lengthy record of all major championships.
It’s not that the extremely intelligent Morikawa, who has a degree in business administration, is belittling the magnitude of the drive. For one thing, he isn’t the bragging type, nor does he thirst for idolization. For another, he just thinks it shouldn’t be excessively saluted seeing as there were other shots during the round that proved as pivotal.
And as he said, “I didn’t have to do anything special.”
In other words, Morikawa made the ordinary look and feel extraordinary.
“It was 100 percent the right play,” Morikawa said. “We had practiced not going for it. But we never thought the tees would be up that far, that the pin would be that accessible. Normally on drivable par 4s you have to cut something in, or hit it really high, or bust a 3-wood.
“This was absolutely a stock driver for me. I teed it up and hit a great drive.”
Collin Morikawa reacts after putting on the 16th green during the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park. (Photo: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)
Downplayed or not, the drive will forever be the defining moment of the 102nd edition of the PGA Championship, a tense contest that saw 10 players hold at least a share of the lead at one time or another in the final round. A group that included the star power of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, Paul Casey, Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau.
And the play on 16 proved the difference. Morikawa won his first major in just his second try, finishing two shots clear of Casey and Johnson. He signed for rounds of 69-69-65-64 to finish at 13 under; his 129 on the weekend a PGA Championship record previously held by Tiger Woods.
But neither the 8-degree TaylorMade SIM driver with a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ LTD 70 TX shaft nor the TaylorMade TP Collection Juno putter are part of a display in the World Golf Hall of Fame or the PGA of America headquarters.
“The clubs are at my house with a bunch of other clubs,” said Morikawa, who added that each isn’t anywhere near the Wanamaker Trophy that is prominently displayed in his Las Vegas abode. “Definitely not framed.”
Framed or not, the two clubs – and Morikawa – delivered a moment that will live on in the chronicles of golf. And Morikawa will forever remember every little detail about the 70th hole he played that week.
For instance, he was running hot as he headed to the tee, fuming that he had not converted for birdie on the 69th hole despite a superb drive, solid iron shot and fine putt. But as he took a few more steps, he saw the tees were way up.
That’s when he shifted gears inside his brain.
“I was so focused on what type of shot I needed to hit,” he said.
As was his caddie, J.J. Jakovac. He walked off the yardage – the tees were 28 yards from the back edge of the tee box – and became one with Morikawa.
“How far is it?” Morikawa asked.
“278 front, 292 hole,” Jakovac responded.
“And the wind’s off the left, a little hurt?”
“Yep.”
“It’s a perfect driver, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
“And he just grabbed driver,” Jakovac said. “It literally could not have been a better distance for him. It’s cool, he’s jacked up, and he carries driver 275. He hit it. I ran out on the tee box to watch the first bounce and just started hoping for one straight bounce. I saw the ball come down and kick dead straight and then I said, ‘Go in the hole.’”
It did a few minutes later.
“At the tee box I couldn’t tell how close it was. As I walked up, I saw it was 7 feet and the pressure started to heat up,” Morikawa said. “But all I was focused on was the putt. I had to make the putt. A two-shot lead is so much bigger than a one-shot lead late on Sunday in a major.
“It didn’t look like it was breaking much. I brought J.J. in for a read. I wasn’t nervous about missing the putt. I just really wanted to make the putt. I knew the putt would change a lot of things, and the drive wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t make it. I will always remember our read. We played it 1/3 of the ball outside of the hole on the left edge. And I buried it.
“The putt is etched in my brain.”
Collin Morikawa poses with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the 2020 PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Taking in the drama-filled final round step for step with Morikawa were Rick Sessinghaus, Morikawa’s long-time swing and mental coach and mentor; Andrew Kipper, his agent; Katherine Zhu, his girlfriend; and a few members of the media and a few volunteers.
“It was an out-of-body experience, where you almost don’t realize what you just watched,” Kipper said. “(Swing coach) Sean Foley, who works with Cameron Champ who was paired with Collin, was with us. He turned to Rick and said, ‘He just hit one the best shots in major championship history.’ And to me, I think the shot is sort of underrated. Maybe if there would have been fans there it would be celebrated even more.”
Sessinghaus agreed, that the lack of spectators and the roars that would have ensued tempers the drive and putt. But Sessinghaus will never forget it.
“It’s the top moment of my career as a coach, watching my student do what he did on the 16th hole and win,” he said. “Top-10 moment of my life.”
For Morikawa, however, it was just one top-10 moment of the final round. Also on his list are the 25-foot putt he made for par on the first hole, the 35-footer he made for par on the sixth, and the 50-foot chip for birdie he made on the 14th hole.
“In my head, all I think about the drive was it was a good shot,” he said. “I’ve heard people say it’s one of the best in major championship history. But to me, the putt on the 16th was more important, the chip on 14 was more important, the two par putts I made on 1 and 6 were more important.
Less than a week before trying to qualify for the 2019 U.S. Open, Collin Morikawa had one major detail to take care of: secure the services of a caddie for his upcoming career in professional golf.
One thing quickly led to another, however, and Morikawa was on the phone with J.J. Jakovac, a former aspiring professional who found greater riches in professional golf carrying a bag instead of playing out of one.
After 45 minutes on the phone, Jakovac started planning a trip to Ohio and four days later landed in the Buckeye State to start his new job with Morikawa in a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier. They hit it off immediately in the parking lot of Scioto Country Club despite the years separating them – Morikawa’s 24, Jakovac’s 38 – and the baseball teams they are devoted to – Morikawa and his Los Angeles Dodgers, Jakovac and his San Francisco Giants.
They’ve been together ever since – for four wins in Morikawa’s 45 starts as a pro.
“As a college golfer coming out, you really don’t know what your caddie is going to be like or what you’re going to need,” Morikawa said. “The only question I asked J.J. was if he’s organized.”
Jakovac was put to the test right away. The day before the Monday U.S. Open qualifier, Morikawa found out he was awarded an exemption into the coming week’s RBC Canadian Open and asked Jakovac if he could go north of the border. Trouble was, Jakovac didn’t have his passport and the few clothes he had packed for Ohio fit into a carry-on.
Collin Morikawa (right) and caddie J.J. Jakovac look on from the 15th tee during the third round of World Golf Championships at The Concession golf tournament at The Concession Golf Club. (Photo: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports)
Jakovac got hustling and had his wife overnight his passport and he scrounged up a few extra pieces of clothing for the trip to Toronto.
Morikawa qualified for the U.S. Open and then tied for 14th in Canada with Jakovac walking stride for stride in his professional debut. One month later he tied for second in the 3M Open in Minnesota. The following week he tied for fourth in the John Deere Classic.
Two weeks later, in his sixth start as a pro, he won the Barracuda Championship.
He has since added victories in the 2020 Workday Charity Open, the 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession and, of course, the 2020 PGA Championship in just his second start in a major.
And Morikawa began his career with 22 consecutive made cuts, a stretch to start a pro career bested only by Tiger Woods’ 25.
“It only took a couple weeks for me to know that J.J. would be great for me,” Morikawa said. “He was a former pro. He was a well-respected, experienced caddie. He learned my game quickly. It just made sense and we just kept feeding off each other.
“I’m not saying we’re perfect every time. We still work on things; we still tweak things here and there. But that’s what makes him great; we’re both willing to learn and we’re both willing to try to learn something new at times and if we fail, we fail. We’re trying to get better. He just loves being there just as much as I do.”
There was a time Jakovac wanted to be there as a player. Playing for California State University, Chico, he was the NCAA Division II individual champion in 2002 and 2004. Three-time All-American. Twice the recipient of the Arnold Palmer Award given to the Division II Player of the Year. And he earned the Jack Nicklaus Award for the best collegiate golfer in the nation in 2004.
He turned pro and traveled golf’s lonely roads on mini-tours and the Hooters, Gateway and Golden State tours. But he failed three times to get through Q-School and started questioning his journey.
“I made some money, did all right, but I was spinning my wheels and was burned out on it,” Jakovac said.
Collin Morikawa (left) and his caddie J.J. Jakovac stride up the on the 15th green during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. (Photo: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports)
He took a break and then got a call from Matt Bettencourt, who Jakovac had played against in amateur golf. Bettencourt was looking for a caddie and Jakovac made a career switch. In 2008, Bettencourt won twice on the Nationwide Tour and was the leading money winner with Jakovac on the bag. The two split and Jakovac worked a bit for Peter Tomasulo before hooking up in 2010 with Ryan Moore, a former teammate in the Palmer Cup. The relationship lasted nearly eight years and yielded four victories.
“I’ve always liked having good players on the bag, someone who has that perspective of knowing how to really play golf, how to deal with different shots, different moments and how difficult it can be,” Moore said. “I’ve always appreciated someone who has been there, done that and J.J. definitely had that experience. I think Collin feels the same way.”
Jakovac and Moore split after the 2018 PGA Championship and Jakovac took another break to spend time with his family.
“I wasn’t in a hurry to find another bag,” Jakovac said.
Some time passed before he was smitten watching Morikawa on TV and knowing all about his standout collegiate career, he got in touch with Andrew Kipper, Morikawa’s agent. Turns out it was a fruitful phone call.
“He’s such a nice kid, such a mature kid. It was like after 5 minutes after I met him for the first time that I thought it would work out,” Jakovac said. “After that it was just all about learning his golf game and distances.
“I’ve told people before that he’s an old soul. He has an ability that is way beyond his years, to just go with the flow on the golf course, to understand he’s going to hit bad golf shots. He doesn’t get flustered or frustrated. He still has the fire and he does get mad, but then it’s like he flips a switch and it’s gone.
“It’s so easy to caddie for him. He thinks like a good caddie on the golf course.
He’s already on the same page with me. And he listens. I trust him, and he trusts me. We’re friends. We like each other. That makes it pretty easy to work together.”
Jakovac will tell you Morikawa’s mind is his best attribute, even more so than his supreme ball-striking skills. Among the many moments that stand out occurred at the 2019 John Deere Classic.
In just his fifth start as a professional, Morikawa needed a top-10 finish to lock up his card. Morikawa finished in a tie for fourth.
“On the 18th green on Sunday, I was so happy for him, ecstatic, as he comes over to me. I gave him a half hug, half handshake,” Jakovac said. “I told him he locked up his card and he just said, ‘I know.’ He’s excited but he’s not emotional. I asked him, ‘Aren’t you excited?’ ‘Yeah, I’m excited.’ And then there was a pause for about five seconds when I asked, ‘You knew you were going to do this, huh?’ And he’s like, ‘I thought I was.’
“He expected to get his card in that short of time. He wasn’t over-the-top excited because he expected to do it. That’s special.”
The two are on the same page when Morikawa wants to try new things, whether it be a new putter, putting stroke and learning how to slightly draw the driver.
Morikawa appreciates Jakovac having done that and been there in the grind of professional golf.
“I’m so happy to have him on the bag, so let me say thank you, Ryan Moore, for not keeping him on the bag,” he said. “He’s a person I can talk to on the course and who just keeps it comfortable.
“He knows what to say, when to say it. He has figured out my game and what kind of player I am, what I need to know, what I don’t need to know, and it’s as simple as that. I’m very lucky to have him on the bag.”
