Collin Morikawa doesn't think many golf fans are rooting for him (?!) at US PGA

Collin Morikawa believes golf fans are not rooting for him quite as much as other players heading into the final round of the US PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Morikawa, 27, holds a share of the 54-hole lead alongside his Ryder Cup teammate Xander Schauffele with 18 holes to go in Louisville.

The World No.13 has not had his best stuff out there on the PGA Tour so far this season, but he has slowly been going under the radar lately with a handful of strong performances, most notably a T3 at The Masters last month. 

Morikawa is now on the verge of landing a hat-trick of major titles, and should he etch his name on the Wanamaker Trophy for a second time in his career on Sunday, he would become the third quickest player to win three majors, doing so in just 18 appearances. 

He picked up his first major title at the 2020 US PGA at TPC Harding Park, which played out with no fans during the Covid lockdown. 

That week, Morikawa became the third youngest winner of the US PGA and the ninth player to win on their US PGA debut. 

Morikawa then went and etched his name on the Claret Jug at the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St George's where he became the first player to win on their Open debut since Ben Curtis in 2003, which was also at the famous Kent venue. 

But as Morikawa goes in search of more records on Sunday, he considers he's not quite as popular as some of his peers.

Although he does not care a great deal. 

When pressed by a reporter as to whether he feels people have forgotten about him in 2024, Morikawa replied: 

"Frankly, yes, it's nice to have people root for you, and I feel like people aren't rooting for me out here. They like a good story. Xander hasn't won one, other guys, whatever it may be. But, you know, I could care less."

Morikawa has won six times on the PGA Tour with his last victory coming in October 2023 at the ZOZO Championship.

He enters the final round of the 2024 US PGA Championship in a share of the lead with Schauffele on 15-under par. 

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