Colin Morikawa earned his first major title Sunday

A native of Los Angeles, 23-year-old Colin Morikawa earned his first major title Sunday up the coast in San Francisco with an awesome final round at the PGA Championships.

In the first major without spectators, Morikawa closed with a 6-under 64, the lowest final round by a PGA winner in 25 years. He surged on the back nine to break a logjam that involved 10 other players,  and two of them, Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey, finished two shots behind him.

No spectators, yes, but it was still a thrill-a-minute championship that not many will forget, and that included the

rest of the field and the officials.

It came down to Morikawa’s soaring driver on the 294-yard 16th hole. It was perfect in flight and even better when it landed onto the green and rolling to 7 feet for an eagle that all but clinched victory on a most quiet afternoon at Harding Park. It was a shot that will be remembered as one of the best under pressure that hardly anyone noticed, but there must of been plenty tuning in on television.

“Sure I’m used to the fans on the sidelines,” he said, “but I just concentrated, was hoping for a really good bounce and got it. I hit a really good putt and now we’re here.”

It wasn’t easy. Morikawa was among seven players tied for the lead, no doubt as wild as any Sunday in a major. He gained the lead when he chipped in for a birdie from 40 feet short of the 14th green. He followed that two holes later when he delivered the knockout with one swing along the shores of Lake Merced.

The COVID-19 pandemic had moved the PGA Championship from May to August and was approved only if spectators were not allowed. But Casey didn’t miss anything except his initial major title.

He had a genuine shot after he birdied the 16th hole to tie Morikawa for the lead. Then, while standing on the tee at the 3-par 17th hole, looked back and saw Morikawa’s ball roll toward the hole.

“What a shot,” Casey said. “Nothing you could do but tip your cap to that. Colin had taken on that challenge and pulled it off. That’s what champions do.”

Last year Morikawa was still in the vicinity of Harding Park while finishing up his degree at University of California and completing his All-America college career as part of a new cast of young stars in a sport filled with them. He said he only played Harding Park about a dozen times while in college, but never set up with roughs like this or with the tees all the way back.

Now he has three PGA Tour wins and ranks No. 5 in the world after defeating a cast of world-class players over the public course in San Francisco.

But for Johnson it was just another major that got away. On Sunday he did own an early one-shot lead, and didn’t do much wrong on this final day except for not keeping it in the fairway for better chances to birdie. On the 16th hole he drove into the hazard and chipped in a birdie when it was too late. Then he birdied on the 18th hole to bring a 68 and a tie with Casey for second place.

It was Johnson’s fifth runner-up finish in a major. His lone title was the 2016 U.S. Open and this was his second straight second place in the PGA Championship.

It wasn’t much of a tournament finish for Brooks Koepka. He looked at the crowded leader board on Saturday night and didn’t see anyone with his experience of four major championships. Except he failed to make a birdie until the 12th hole. He went from two shots behind to a wobbly 74 and tied for 29th.

Said Koepka: “It’s my  first bad round in a major in awhile. I spent the back nine today mostly trying to cheer on Casey and his bid to win a first major at age 43.”

But Morikawa proved that youth rules these days.