Golf legend Jack Nicklaus HEAPS PRAISE on Open Champion Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa was an immensely impressive winner of The Open Championship at Royal St. George's.
Golf legend and 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus has heaped praise on the new Open champion Collin Morikawa.
Morikawa claimed a nerveless and impressive victory at Royal St. George's last week, finishing two shots ahead of 2017 Champion Golfer of the Year Jordan Spieth.
Nicklaus won three Claret Jugs of his own and after Morikawa sealed his second major title, the Golden Bear took to Instagram to praise the new World No. 3 player.
"It looks like we've got a new kid on the block! What an impressive day of golf by @collin_morikawa. He continues to play well, play better, and show he is here to stay. My, what solid golf and great composure all day long at @theopen!
"Every time he had an opportunity to make a mistake, boom, he made a big shot or putt. Some of the chips he executed were fantastic! I was very impressed with him. This is someone we are going to have the pleasure to watch a lot in the future."
The 24-year-old became the 14th player in PGA Tour history to have reached five wins before the age of 25. Morikawa faced many challenges at Royal St. George's on Sunday, but he putted superbly and showed nerves of steel to hold off Spieth and Louis Oosthuizen.
Nicklaus holds the longstanding record of winning the most major championships in the sport's history and he was massively impressed that Morikawa has now won the USPGA and The Open Championship on debut.
"For Collin to win the first time he played in a @pgachampionship and now in his first Open Championship is remarkable. Collin himself said if he had not played in the @scottish_open the week before, he would not have been as prepared for his first Open Championship.
"The Scottish Open was REALLY important for him! I’ve always been a great believer in the importance of preparation going into any major championship, and preparation in those kinds of conditions is essential to winning."
