INZAI CITY, Japan (AP) — Collin Morikawa ended nearly two years without a win when he closed with a 7-under 63 for a six-shot victory Sunday in the Zozo Championship.
Morikawa's last victory was the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November 2021. He had not won on the PGA Tour since the 2021 British Open at Royal St. George's.
There was no doubt about this one. He began the final round two shots behind Justin Suh. Morikawa shot 30 on the front nine to start pulling away, and no one could catch him. Beau Hossler and Eric Cole each shot 70 to tie for second.
Morikawa had four birdies on the front nine while Suh had three bogeys, a seven-shot swing from which Suh never recovered. He closed with a 74 and tied for 10th.
Morikawa had three runner-up finishes since he closed out the 2021 season by winning the European tour's points race. That included The Sentry in January, when he lost a five-shot lead.
The victory was the sixth of his PGA Tour career and moves him to No. 13 in the world ranking.
LPGA TOUR
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Minjee Lee of Australia weathered a late rally by Alison Lee to eventually defeat the American on the first playoff hole and win the BMW Ladies Championship.
Minjee Lee closed with a 4-under 68 and Alison Lee had a 67 at Seowon Valley as both players finished at 16-under 272.
On the par-4 18th in the playoff, the Australian made birdie for the win.
She won for the 10th time on the LPGA Tour and picked up her second victory in her last three starts, having won in Cincinnati. She is the third Australian with 10 or more wins on the LPGA, trailing Jan Stephenson (16) and Karrie Webb (41).
Defending champion Lydia Ko, a South Korean-born New Zealander, shot 69 to finish 14-under 274 and was two strokes behind in third place.
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Anirban Lahiri shot a 7-under 65 and Bryson DeChambeau delivered the theatrics on the back nine of the Blue Monster to lead the Crushers to a two-shot victory over the RangeGoats in the LIV Golf team championship Sunday at Trump Doral.
The scores from all four players on every team counted in the final event of LIV Golf’s second season, and the Crushers were in control for almost all of the back nine, and led by four shots as the final group reached the 18th hole.
DeChambeau made only one par on the back nine and shot 67. Charles Howell III had a 72 and Paul Casey had a 73.
Bubba Watson birdied the 18th for a 67 to lead the RangeGoats. Talor Gooch, who won the individual points title this season, and Thomas Pieters each had 70. Harold Varner III shot 72.
The defending champion 4 Aces never had a chance, with Dustin Johnson closing with a 75 and only one player — Peter Uihlein with a 69 — breaking 70. They finished last among the four teams. Torque finished third.
EUROPEAN TOUR
SAN ROQUE, Spain (AP) — Adrian Meronk won for the third time this season on the European tour when he closed with a 6-under 66 for a one-shot victory in the Andalucia Masters.
Meronk, disappointed in being left off the Ryder Cup team despite one of his victories coming at Marco Simone, overcame two bogeys in his opening three holes to rally at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in southern Spain.
He won by won by one shot over Matti Schmid, who shot a 71.
Meronk followed up the slow start by making two eagles on the front nine, including a hole-out from 121 yards on the par-4 ninth hole. He then had four birdies on the back nine, including one on the par-3 17th to take over the lead for good.
Meronk became the first three-time winner this season on the European tour and moved to No. 3 in the Race to Dubai and No. 46 in the world ranking.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Harrison Frazar won his first PGA Tour Champions title Sunday when he birdied the 18th hole for a 3-under 69 to force a playoff with Richard Green, and then made an 8-foot birdie on the first extra hole at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
Frazar wasn’t the only winner. Steve Stricker clinched his first Charles Schwab Cup title with two postseason events still to be played, even though he skipped the tournament.
Green also closed with a 69, helped by a 10-foot par putt on the 15th and an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. But he failed to birdie the 516-yard closing hole at the Country Club of Richmond, opening the door for Frazar.
Frazar and Green finished at 11-under 205.
The top 54 players in the Schwab Cup standings advance to the next playoff event in two weeks. Four players moved into the top 54 on Sunday — Shane Bertsch, John Huston, Rocco Mediate and Charlie Wi.
OTHER TOURS
David Ford shot an 8-under 64 and U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap had a 68 as the United States won the World Amateur Team Championship by 11 shots over Australia and Norway at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. The Americans won the Eisenhower Trophy for the 16th time, and the first since 2014. ... Aline Krauter of Germany closed with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory over Sara Kjellker of Sweden in the Hero Women’s Indian Open on the Ladies European Tour. ... Austin Bautista rallied with a 6-under 64 to win the Webex Players Series SA by one shot on the PGA Tour of Australasia. ... Nana Suganuma closed with a 2-under 70 for a three-shot victory in the Nobuta Group Masters on the Japan LPGA.
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