Collin Morikawa was still only a couple of years into his pro career when he started facing a sharp comparison to an icon like Tiger Woods. But it wasn’t entirely without precedent either. Only Tiger Woods had won a major championship and a World Golf Championship before age 25. And for decades, that stood as an untouchable stat line. However, in February 2021, the 24-year-old, with barely two years on the Tour, walked to the Concession Golf Club and matched the feat.

Speaking in an interview with Trey Wingo, Morikawa was asked what it means to carry a Tiger Woods comparison that young in his career. Morikawa was candid with his answer.

“Yeah, it means you’re doing something right,” Morikawa shared. “It just means you’re living out your dream. You’re checking off these goals, these boxes that you’ve set for yourself as a professional golfer.

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“Early on, when I was living in that moment, I cared a lot more about those comparisons. I might have pushed myself a little too much because I wanted to stay in that realm. When it didn’t happen, and I had a couple of bad tournaments, I felt like something was wrong, that I had to do too much.”

The comparison traces back to February 2021, when Morikawa won the WGC-Workday Championship at the Concession Golf Club. He beat Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka, and Billy Horschel by three shots. Notably, he had already won the PGA Championship the previous August. It was also his very first major start. Putting those two results together, Morikawa became the second player in history, after Tiger Woods, to win both a major and a golf championship before turning 25.

The comparison had merit for both the fans and Morikawa, especially given how early it was in his career. He turned professional in 2019, and while most rookies take time to find their footing on the Tour, Morikawa was quick to achieve success. He won his first PGA Tour title, the Barracuda Championship, in his sixth start as a pro. He followed that up by making 22 consecutive cuts to open his career. That streak fell short of Woods’ own record of 25.

ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 08: Collin Morikawa of United States of America hits a drive at the 11th hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard 2026 at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 08, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 08 PGA, Golf Herren Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon5732603080494

That said, the constant comparison put Morikawa through a relentless chase to meet the benchmark. Morikawa admitted to putting pressure on himself to strive to do better on the course. However, it couldn’t last long. Soon after winning the Open Championship 2021 at Royal St. George’s, he fell into a winless stretch.

Unlike the reputation he had made on the course, he didn’t win on the tour for 27 months. He recorded one runner-up finish at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions, where he blew a six-shot, 54-hole lead to Jon Rahm. It wasn’t until the ZOZO Championship in October 2023 that he broke through the drought again. Since then, Morikawa has said he leans on his caddie, J.J. Jakovac, and manager, Mark O’Meara, to keep that stretch in perspective.

“Marco always tells me, ‘You just have to mellow out the bottoms and enjoy the highs. ‘So I try to stay present and enjoy the moments.”

Morikawa isn’t the only player who’s had to learn that lesson under a Tiger-sized shadow. Rory McIlroy, too, went through the comparison earlier. He made an eight-shot victory in the U.S. Open in 2011 at the age of 22. Padraig Harrington had suggested he could threaten Jack Nicklaus’s major record. Both players later admitted that weight shaped how hard they pushed during their slumps.

Moreover, one of the major reasons Morikawa was compared to Woods was the World Golf Championships. Looking back at the comparison, he’s glad that the championships are no longer part of the schedule.

“I’m happy there are no more WGCs, so now these younger kids can’t tie it. It’s impossible; they probably wouldn’t even know what it is. It’s way harder. Way harder.”

The WGCs earned a reputation for difficulty because of how they were built. Unlike a regular PGA Tour stop, these championships were small-field, no-cut events that pulled in the best players from tours all over the world, not just the U.S. Moreover, players had no ease into the week, and you could not cut your losses after 36 holes if things went wrong. Every player struggled hard to survive on the field. Despite that, Woods treated the format like his personal playground and won a record 18 WGC titles over his career. That record, however, is one of the reasons why Tiger Woods remains one of the icons.

For Morikawa, now at 29 with two majors, three Ryder Cup appearances, and two Presidents Cups on his resume, he is confident. The comparisons don’t bother him now.

“When I hear comparisons like that, it’s awesome. It motivates me even more because I want to have a long career. I feel like I can keep competing against all these guys. I’m 29 now; I still feel young-ish.”