Collin Morikawa ends 18 year coaching relationship and finds instant success
Collin Morikawa was winless on the PGA Tour for more than two years. Despite his youth, Morikawa felt it was time to do something new to get different results, and he did.
Morikawa ended his 18-year relationship with Rick Sessinghaus, who had been his coach since the player was eight years old. The move came ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup as journalist Dan Rapaport reported Monday (November 6).
Sessinghaus was replaced by Mark Blackburn. Just one month later, Collin Morikawa won the 2023 ZOZO Championship in Japan for his sixth PGA Tour victory.
With Rick Sessinghaus in his corner, Collin Morikawa quickly rose to world golf stardom. Five PGA Tour victories, including two Majors, and a successful junior and amateur career are a testament to the work Sessinghaus and Morikawa had developed over nearly two decades.
Meanwhile, Mark Blackburn is one of the most recognized golf instructors in the United States. He was named PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year in 2020 and has twice been a finalist for the award.
According to Golf Magazine, Blackburn is one of the top 100 golf instructors in the country, while Golf Digest ranks him in the top 50. He runs the Blackburn Golf Academy at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
Throughout his career, he has worked with the likes of Chez Reavie, Kevin Chappell, Charley Hoffman and Mike Weir. Besides Collin Morikawa, stars such as Justin Rose and Max Homa use Blackburn's services currently.
A look into Collin Morikawa's performance during his 2021-2023 winless streak
Prior to the 2023 ZOZO Championship, Morikawa's most recent PGA Tour victory was none other than the 2021 Open Championship. It was the second Major victory for the then-24-year-old.
Between the two events, Collin Morikawa had 47 official starts on the PGA Tour. He made the cut in 34 of them, with 14 top 10s. His best results were runner-up finishes in four tournaments.
Morikawa also played in three DP World Tour events during that span. He won the 2021 Tour Championship, while he tied for 62nd at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and tied for 18th at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, both in 2018.
The 2021 and 2023 editions of the Ryder Cup, the former of which Morikawa won, can be added to these official openings. He also competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing T4.
Other unofficial tournaments he played during this period were the 2021 (T5) and 2022 (6th) Hero World Challenge, as well as the 2022 Presidents Cup (winner).
Collin Morikawa has had an impressive career in professional golf. At just 26 years old, he has won six PGA Tour events, including the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. Combining his results on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Morikawa has won at least one tournament a year since turning pro in 2019.