Collin Morikawa's joyous victory broke through the golf-pandemic fog

As Collin Morikawa lifted the huge Wanamaker trophy over his head on Sunday evening and shook it with a quick, jubilant shake, the lid clattered off. Once again he delivered just what golf needed in a plague-dipped season.

First, 23-year-old Morikawa delivered a dazzling final lap around the P.G.A. to win. Championship at T.P.C. in San Francisco Harding Park, the long-awaited first major champion of 2020. Then came the comical relief, the sheepish smile as the top of the trophy went astray.

After Morikawa took two memorable shots to take out a crowd of tenacious contenders on the back nine Sunday, it was tempting to think about the future of the game, especially since that crowd was Matthew Wolff, a 21- year old in his first major, and Scottie Scheffler, a 24-year-old, who finished in a tie for fourth place.

But the real value of Morikawa's seductive, courageous victory lay more in what it showed about the state of golf now than what it predicted.

As he drove the ball off the tee to within two meters of the hole at No. 16, a dream shot for setting up an eagle putt, Morikawa made it easy to forget that this great tournament was three months out. was kept late and overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to early ratings, the tournament retreat drew the largest TV audience in five years, even as golf competed with the resumption of American competitive sports. And, as has happened on the return of the PGA Tour since mid-June, fans came out in person despite being banned from attending, most notably due to collapsing sections of the fence blocking view of the 12th and 13th holes. for the viewing public.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was an exception to the fanless rule that governed the return of golf. Eliminated with his team from the N.B.A. After season, Curry followed Morikawa's group on Sunday, then crashed the post-round press conference to offer his caddying services to the champion.

Morikawa, a Lakers fan, declined.

Interest in the Sunday finals owed as much to Morikawa's stunning shots as to a ridiculously talented field that, at one point on Sunday, had a seven-person draw for the lead.

Paul Casey, the 43-year-old old Englishman, ended the day in tie for second place with Dustin Johnson. They finished two strokes behind Morikawa & # 39; s 13-under-par for the tournament after shooting a final round of six-under-64.

A victory for both would have been significant. Casey has started more major championships (64) without earning a title than any other active player. And this was the fourth time Johnson had or shared a 54-hole lead with a major and failed to close the deal, an outrageous record.

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NBA teams were assigned to their Disney World hotels based on the rankings. That has resulted in the weaker teams at the less sought-after Yacht Club Resort being jealous of the hotel as they compete for a playoff place. The pandemic has caused young female golfers, who have fewer opportunities to play than men, scrambling to find tournaments. the decision to cancel football came after players said, "Coach, there's no way we can play a season."

Despite all his talent, Johnson, 36, has won only one major, the 2016 United States Open – a point brutally noted on Saturday night by Brooks Koepka, winner of the previous two PGA Championships

"I love my chances ”, said Koepka, who was two strokes behind Johnson after the third round. "When I was in this position before, I wrote in capital letters."

He noted that Johnson had "only won one, so – I'm playing well, so we'll see."

Koepka quickly fell out of battle on Sunday with a four-over 74, while Rory McIlroy publicly contested his comments about Johnson.

"A little hard to beat someone who has 21 wins on the PGA Tour, that's three times what Brooks has," said McIlroy, who, like Koepka, is a four-time winner.

Ultimately, however, that bickering and Johnson & # 39; s unfortunate withdrawal from the top of the standings faded alongside Morikawa's exciting and remarkably mature game.

"All my caddy friends say the same thing" said his caddy, JJ Jakovac. “They're like, I just can't get over how grown up your husband is. He's like an old soul or something.

Morikawa & # 39; s familiarity with the course certainly helped him. By his own calculations, he played at least a dozen times during his college career at Harding Park at the nearby University of California, Berkeley.

"To be fair, college wasn't my favorite," he said. "I don't think I played it extremely well."

Just over a year after turning pro, Morikawa has now won the PGA Tour three times, twice in the relative silence of the spectator of these summer free tournaments. Morikawa said he wouldn't have minded hearing a big reaction when his 293-yard drive on 16 reached the green, as he and his caddy couldn't see where the ball landed.

"This is it. I really wish there were a crowd there," he said.

Still, his 65 and 64 over the weekend gave him the lowest 36-hole final score ever by a major in men. The previous record of 130 was held by Tom Watson (1977 British Open), Ian Baker-Finch (1991 British Open), Anders Forsbrand (1994 British Open), Marc Leishman (2015 British Open) and Tiger Woods (2018 PGA Championship).

So Morikawa was not inclined to think about what was missing, except, very briefly, the lid of his new trophy.

Gwen Knapp contributed to this article.