Golfer Collin Morikawa has multiple things to celebrate after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
When asked why the moment was āso specialā with wife Katherine Zhu after the win on Sunday, February 15 ā his first victory on Tour in over two years ā Morikawa, 29, replied, āA lot of reasons.ā
āPutting golf aside, we are actually expecting later this year, in a few months. We just started telling people this week,ā he told CBS Sportsā Amanda Balionis while smiling. āWe said what a better way, the best way, to just announce it to the world if I was able to come out and win.ā
He continued, āThereās so much to life. Thereās so much to enjoy. Iām hard on myself, like I talked about yesterday. Iām just so thankful for the people around me. My team, Kat, my wife, my parents, my brother. Iām speechless right now.ā
Morikawa and Zhu, a marathon runner and former golfer, tied the knot in 2022. Three years later, Morikawa admitted it can be āvery hardā to focus on anything other than golf when things arenāt going his way.
āGolf is a big part of my life and who I am,ā Morikawa exclusively told Us Weekly in 2025. āWhen itās going great, itās very easy to be able to separate yourself. But when itās not going as well, your mind is constantly thinking about golf. āHow do I keep getting better?ā Because thatās the chase. Thatās what weāre all trying to accomplish: getting better every single day. āHow do we keep improving? What do I need to do in order to give myself a chance to win on Sunday?ā Itās just a never-ending cycle.ā
Morikawa shared that golfers are forced to be a different level of āmentally strongā than athletes who compete in other sports.
āIt takes a toll out of you,ā he said. āI donāt think people realize the stress it puts on our bodies that we go through every single day. We are trying to perfect this game, essentially, that we canāt perfect. We canāt go 4-for-4 with five RBIs and two home runs. No one is going to have 18 birdies in a round. Thereās always going to be struggles that you have to maintain and balance. Thatās a big part that I think people have a misconception about.ā
Morikawa credited Zhu with being beneficial for his mental health.
āI wouldnāt say itās a necessity for everyone, but itās a necessity for me,ā Morikawa said about his marriage. āIām so proud of her. I think the motivation she gives me with what she does with her running, it pushes me every day to get better. She played golf in college and stopped playing after a year of playing pro, and was able to travel with me.ā
Morikawa continued, āItās lucky to have your best friend by your side and be able to go out and enjoy life, travel the world, see new places and do what I love. Iām very thankful that sheās given up a lot of her things that she loved to do and allow a lot of her time to come out on this journey.ā
Read the full article here
