Collin Morikawa plays down Woods comparisons

PGA Tour
Jul 12, 2020; Dublin, Ohio, USA; Collin Morikawa pumps his fist after matching birdie putts with Justin Thomas on the first playoff hole of the final round of the Workday Charity Open. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch via USA TODAY NETWORK /Sipa USA

Brand new PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa wants to keep his career on an upward trajectory.

The 23-year-old has had a sterling start to his career since turning professional in June 2019, picking up three wins and missing just one cut, catapulting him from outside the top 1000 to world number five in just over 12 months.

Morikawa’s meteoric rise to fame – and perhaps his toothy grin – has seen him earn comparisons to Tiger Woods, but he is doing his best to stay grounded.

“I think it just means that I’m heading down the right path,” said the business administration graduate when asked about the comparisons to Woods.

“We’ve got off to a very good start but we want to keep it going, just keep setting goals. Obviously at the start of this full the season the goal was to win a major. Now that I’ve been able to check that off, it’s like what’s next? How do I keep getting better? How do I reach that number one spot? How do we be more consistent? That’s just who I am.

“You asked has it sunk in, no, not necessarily. But it’s just because I want more. We got a taste of what it’s like.”

Morikawa is set to tee off with fellow major winners Justin Thomas and Webb Simpson at TPC Boston at The Northern Trust this week.

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