[PHOTO: Chris Turvey/Rolex]

American Collin Morikawa owns an iron game that’s the envy of professional golf. Such precision in his approach shots is what helped earn him the Open Championship three years ago, as well as the 2020 PGA Championship 11 months earlier.

The 2021 Open winner spoke with us ahead of this week’s championship at Royal Troon.

You have had a strong start to the 2024 season, with a notable T-3 finish at the Masters Tournament and a T-4 at the PGA Championship. Can you tell us how confident you are in your game right now and how you are feeling ahead of the final major championship of 2024?

Collin Morikawa: I’d say my confidence is building. If I compare where I was at the beginning of the season, seeing the results over the past month-and-a-half has helped. But I think the confidence has also come from not only the good results, but from me going back to simplifying things about the swing, the mental aspect and just looking at shots and executing the way I want and not trying to do too much.

For more than 160 years, The Open has been one of the ultimate tests for the world’s finest players. It is a tournament takes us back to the roots of the ancient game and evokes the sport’s core values. Can you tell us a bit about how special it is?

There is no tournament like The Open. Not only is it where golf began, and all of the greats have placed their name on the claret jug, but it’s a place where golf is at its most creative. In today’s game, golf can become very repetitive. People like to perfect golf, but perfect it with numbers and technology. At The Open, it’s all about creativity. You feel the history when you step foot onto these amazing venues throughout the UK. When you’re able to do that, and be creative, you get to tap into how golf began. You have a ball, a stick and you make do with what’s in front of you. We get to turn into artists.

To win at The Open requires tackling not only the weight of history but also the forces of nature. How much do you enjoy playing links golf and how challenging can the weather make it?

Links golf is very fun. It’s very fun because you have to hit a new shot every single time. That’s required at a lot of golf courses, but there are fifty different ways to play each and every shot. What makes The Open so unique is also just how drastic the impact your draw can have and whether you get good conditions or bad conditions. Courses can change in such quick fashion. One day six-under could be a great score, where the next day level might be the best score out there. You really have to adapt to the changing conditions for an Open.

What are your earliest memories of watching The Open?

To be honest, not that early. I remember Zach Johnson winning at St Andrews [in 2015], and Jordan’s Open [in 2017].

The 2024 Open will be held at Royal Troon. How familiar are you with the course and how much are you looking forward to this challenge?

I have never been to Troon, but I’m excited to get there and learn about the course and the town.

It was recently announced that Royal Troon will have the longest hole in the history of The Open, with the sixth hole measuring 623 yards/570 metres. How do you anticipate the course playing and does this impact your preparation at all?

It all depends on weather. Weather is one of the biggest factors in an Open. It can make a long course play short, or a short course play long. If this course is going to be on the long side, we hope the conditions are in our favour to help make a lot of birdies.

Succeeding at The Open has been the crowning achievement for some of the game’s greatest players. Fellow Rolex Testimonees Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson enjoyed particular success at Royal Troon, having won there in 1962 and 1982. How motivated are you to claim the claret jug for a second time and join these two legends of the game in having triumphed at the historic Ayrshire links course?

I’m very motivated. Knowing that I’ve been able to place my name next to the greats in golf is an absolute honour, but to do it for a second time would be an amazing achievement.

Photo: Thomas Laisné/Rolex

With that victory in 2021, you became the first player to win on your debut at The Open since Ben Curtis in 2003. You also became the first male golfer to win two major championships on debut, backing up your success at the 2020 PGA Championship. How special was this moment and did you realise the significance of your achievement at the time?

Absolutely not. I still to this day don’t realise how special it is to win in your debut at two different majors. You get that chance to make your first start only once, so to have done it twice was really special. Backing up my first major victory at The Open in 2021 allowed me to keep believing in myself. Sometimes winning a tournament involves a lot of luck, but to have validated the PGA with the win at The Open playing really well down the stretch meant a lot. I still play rounds to this day thinking about the way I played on that final day at Royal St George’s.

In 2024, the Presidents Cup will return to Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada. How much did you enjoy playing in the 2022 edition at Quail Hollow where you made your debut and were a key part of the victorious side?

Being a part of the USA team is an amazing honour, and one of the big parts of winning is having team chemistry. We’re used to being individuals at most tournaments, but when we have these team events and we get to represent our country, it’s awesome. We’ve all got the same goal of beating the Internationals, and I’m hoping to get that chance again.

Can you describe what it was like to join the Rolex family, alongside the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth?

It is a legacy, an everlasting lifetime relationship that you become in joining a family – part of the Rolex family. Since joining, this is how I have felt from day one. Everyone at Rolex have made me feel very comfortable and welcomed, whether that is touring the Rolex factory or meeting the Rolex team. It has been an honour and privilege to meet everyone, and to be embraced with open arms into the heart of what Rolex represents.

What are your overall thoughts about Rolex’s longstanding support of golf?

As I am a professional golfer, I appreciate Rolex’s support and dedication to the game of golf, and it not just the support of the tournaments but investing in the overall aspect of what golf represents. Rolex’s support, whether that is seen or whether it occurs behind the scenes, is very apparent, and you notice this at every major. It is something special that is so appreciated amongst everyone within the Rolex family.

As a multiple Major winner, what does it mean to you to be in the same company as fellow Testimonees and legends of the game such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods?

I would not place myself in the same category quite yet. Winning one major is a hard target in itself, but having won two and hopefully many more to come remains a challenge. It is only a small category of people and that you are able to compare to, and to be able to talk within the same category. I remember two weeks after winning my first major, Tiger came up to me and said “welcome to the Major Club”, and I got chills just from hearing that. Then winning another major, The Open in 2021, it places you in another club, and being part of this shared history, and the names that you will be associated with for the rest of your life is so special. It cannot be taken away from you as you earned that trophy through hard work. It is really hard to describe.