Collin Morikawa Pledges to Send Aid to Maui, Then Excels in 1st Round at St. Jude

The former Cal star plans to donate $1,000 for each birdie he makes during the FedEx Cup playoffs - and he made six on Thursday.

Collin Morikawa was playing for more than himself at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Thursday, and he played well.

Morikawa, whose grandfather owned a restaurant on Front Street in Lahaina, is donating $1,000 for every birdie he makes during the FedEx Cup playoffs to aid in fire recovery at Maui.

"Maui has always held a special place in my heart — my grandfather owned a restaurant called The Morikawa Restaurant, on Front Street in Lahaina," Morikawa said on Instagram."The people of Hawaii are going to need all the support that we can give them. During the course of the playoffs, I'm going to donate $1,000 for every birdie that I make.”

Instagram

Front Street has been ravaged by the fire, which has killed at least 36 people across Maui, with the death toll is expected to continue rising.

The 26-year-old Cal grad made six birdies in the opening round of the first tournament in the three-week, season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs. He finished with a score of 5-under 65 and is tied for third place with Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo.

Jordan Spieth is the first-round leader after a 7-under 63, giving him a one-stroke lead over Tom Kim.

Two other Cal golfers are among 70 players participating ar TPC Southwind in Memphis, the first of three stops in the FedEx Cup playoffs. The top 50 players in the updated FedEx Cup standings will advance to next week for the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois.

The top 30 will advance to the Tour Championships, set for Aug.24-27 at East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta, where the winner will take home $18 million and even the 10th-place finisher earns $1 million.

Byeong Hun An, a 31-year-old South Korean who played one year at Cal, is among 19 players tied for 15th place after a 3-under 67. Others who shot 67 include Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the world’s two top-ranked players.

Max Homa, No. 7 in the world rankings, carded a 2-under 68 and is tied for 34th place.

Morikawa, who hasn’t won since capturing The Open in Britain in July 2021, played bogey-free golf until his third-to-last hole, No. 7. He started on the back nine and posted birdies on Nos. 13, 16, 18, 1, 5 and 6.

He said he has not identified how exactly his donation will be directed, whether to an organization, a town or a group of residents.

"The recency of these events means we haven't identified the best place for the funds to go yet but as the situation evolves, I'll share the beneficiary to highlight the recovery work they'll be doing and how you can also support," Morikawa wrote.

Morikawa said he still has family members on the Big Island. His family emigrated to Maui from Japan, and his paternal grandparents were born and raised in Maui. They now live in California.

The PGA Tour plays several events in Hawaii, including The Sentry, a significant tournament on at Kapalua, where Morikawa finished in a tie for second this year and has never finished below a tie for seventh. 

Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Chris Day, Commercial Appeal/USA Today Network

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo