Getty Collin Morikawa's wife Katherine Morikawa played college golf at Pepperdine.
Collin Morikawa and wife Katherine (formerly Zhu) Morikawa share a passion for golf. As Collin surges up the Masters leaderboard, let’s take a look at some of Katherine’s athletic achievements.
Katherine played collegiate golf at Pepperdine and has also become passionate about running half marathons. The couple got married on November 26, 2022 and continue to share a bond over all things sports.
Katherine was also a standout tennis player before focusing on golf in college. The couple met while playing collegiate golf in the state of California. Collin was competing at Cal prior to joining the PGA Tour, while Katherine played at Pepperdine.
“Over four seasons, appeared in 39 events and 107 rounds with a scoring average of 76.54,” Katherine’s Pepperdine bio explains. “Had three top-10 and seven top-20 results, plus eight below-par rounds. Earned multiple WGCA All-American Scholar, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and WCC All-Academic honors.”
After one of Katherine’s races, Collin took to Instagram to praise his wife’s dedication.
“Incredibly proud of you. You set a goal and absolutely crushed it! 💪🏼 #mylegsaretiredjustwatching,” Collin noted in a November 5, 2023 Instagram message.
Collin Morikawa & Wife Katherine Got Married in Bel-Air, California in 2022
Back in 2022, the couple had a dream wedding at Hotel Bel-Air in California in front of about 100 close friends and family members, per People’s Glenn Garner. The ceremony included an orchestra while the recessional featured the song “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons.
“We found each other by chance, but we chose to share our lives and dreams together,” Collin told People during a December 9, 2022 feature story. “Marriage means to be in love with each other for the rest of our lives.”
Collin Believes He Has Played His Best Golf After Meeting Katherine
Collin believes he has played his best golf dating back to the days when Katherine became his girlfriend. The two enjoy heading to the golf course together and competing, just as Collin does on the PGA Tour.
“We met in college,” Morikawa explained in an interview with the PGA Tour when the couple were dating. “Just kind of clicked, and it’s crazy. I won my first college tournament that next week, I think and we’ve done pretty good since. I don’t know, it’s really fun.”
Katherine’s Parents Were Standout Athletes in China
Katherine has been all over the world, and her parents were standout athletes in China. She comes from an athletic family as Katherine’s father played soccer while her mom ran track. Katherine has lived in both Canada and the United States giving her a “broader perspective of the world.”
“I know more about different cultures,” Katherine told Pepperdine Athletics during an October 13, 2016 interview. “That’s really helped me to play golf, because I meet different people when playing in tournaments. It provided me a broader perspective of the world, and I got to understand more about the sport, people and my teammates better.
“Our team only has a few Americans, and we have more international student-athletes on the team. The experience I got from being in different countries has helped me to understand my teammates better and mix well with other people.”
Collin is hoping to keep adding to the athletic accomplishments of the family by securing a green jacket.