The on-course fit behind Collin Morikawa’s ‘athlete’-driven breakthrough
Morikawa's PGA Championship victory came thanks in part to a renewed focus on 'reacting like an athlete.' In cold temperatures at Harding Park, his Adidas fit did just that.
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Welcome to Spotted on Tour, where we’ll highlight buzzy apparel, gear, gadgets and more that caught our eye over the weekend. Better yet, we’ll help you get your hands on your own.
Two months before Collin Morikawa became a cold-blooded, world-beating major champion, he was a 23-year-old neophyte who’d handed away a victory at Colonial. Locked in a playoff with Daniel Berger, Morikawa yanked a three-footer on the 74th hole at the Charles Schwab Challenge and fumbled away the PGA Tour’s first event since the restart.
On Sunday at the PGA Championship, he was a different golfer. Morikawa’s game was steadier than Harding Park’s cypress trees en route to a final round 64 and his first major championship victory.
Collin Morikawa’s joyous PGA Championship win was the perfect antidote for our times
Before the start of this week’s PGA, Morikawa admitted there’d been a change in his game since Colonial. A change that came not from equipment or technique, but rather from mindset.
“It was just to be more of an athlete, be an athlete that reacts to your target,” Morikawa said. “You look at all other sports, basketball, you think basketball, they’re always looking at their target. I thought of Jordan Spieth when I was putting, when he used to look at his target, he was reacting.”
But athleticism isn’t something that comes easily to golfers. Golf can be a buttoned-up sport, a point that’s reflected nowhere more than in its attire.
Swinging freely and ‘reacting’ (like Morikawa suggests) isn’t easy to do in long pants, a collared shirt and a sweater. It requires on-course gear that responds to your demands while still being acceptable to wear to dinner. Or in other words, it requires the Adidas golf gear worn by Morikawa in Sunday’s win.
From his Tour360 XT spikes straight through to his polo, Morikawa’s style is geared for comfortable, clean execution. But perhaps the most notable portion of his look comes through Adidas’ Ultimate365 pants, which have led the market in sales for 50 (!) consecutive months.
These ultra-comfortable pants are made with stretch fabric for — you guessed it — an athletic feel for players seeking to unleash their inner-major champion on the course.
Below is Morikawa’s Sunday apparel, brought to you by the GOLF.com Pro Shop. Unfortunately, Adidas is completely sold out of Morikawa’s 3-stripe sweater, but we’ve taken the liberty of linking up one of our other cold-weather favorites from Adidas for those looking to add some weatherproof gear in time for the fall.
Adidas Ultimate365 Tapered Pants
Adidas Tour360 XT
Adidas Ultimate365 Polo
Adidas 3-stripe midweight sweatshirt
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