LOS ANGELES – It may not have been love at first sight for Collin Morikawa but the 24-year-old eventually got there.
Morikawa was born in Los Angeles and grew up in La Cañada, which is about an hour away by friendly traffic from Riviera Country Club, but never made it to the area’s annual PGA stop. stop growing up.
“I was never interested, I’ll be honest. As I was never interested in golfing as a child, ”said Morikawa on Tuesday from the Genesis Invitational. “That was never my thing. ”
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During the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Riviera Morikawa he developed a relationship for the course, but it wasn’t until he turned pro that he fell for the form.
“I enjoyed playing Riv in the USA Am, I enjoyed it, but last year I fell in love and I know why my chaddy was [J.J. Jakovac] I really like this golf course. I keep falling in love with him and it just makes him a little more special to be in LA, ”he said.
In his debut last year at the Genesis Invitational Morikawa tied for 26th after bookend rounds of 73, but that walk didn’t start to overwhelm the ever-growing popularity.
“You look at a great golf course and it tests every scene, does it test everything you need?” Morikawa said. “That’s what Riviera does. You hit every scene out here, you hit every draw, you hit fashion, branches, long iron, 3-woods, everything, and yes I think that’s what makes a great golf course. ”