Photo: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire/Getty
PGA Tour championCollin Morikawamarried his wife,Katherine Zhu, in November 2022.
Morikawa has been one of the most successful names in golf since turning professional in 2019, and a year later he became thethird-youngestPGA Championship winner since World War II. In 2021, he made history with his win at the Open Championship, becoming the first player to win two different majors in debut attempts.
By his side through his successes has been Zhu. The couple first met in 2017 while they were both playing collegiate golf and eventually got engaged in 2021.
He continued, “She knows golf can take a toll on you, whether it’s a good or bad day. I’m very lucky to have her.”
Here’s everything to know about Collin Morikawa’s wife, Katherine Zhu.
She was born in Vancouver, Canada, but went to high school in China
Katherine Zhu Instagram
Zhu was born in Vancouver, Canada, but attended Zhuji Hailiang Private High School in China, where she graduated in 2014.
She also comes from a sporting background. Her father, Mike Chu, was a tennis player, and her mother ran track, Zhu toldPepperdine University’s Competing With Purpose blogin 2016. She also played tennis before turning her focus to golf; she won her first amateur tennis tournament at 13, according to thePepperdine Waves.
She met Morikawa in 2017
After going to high school in China, Zhu returned to the U.S. for college. She attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where she majored in international management.
It was while she was at college that she first met Morikawa, despite the pair going to different universities. Her now-husband attended the University of California, Berkeley.
She’s a former collegiate golf champion
Her husband isn’t the only golfer in the family. Zhu is a former collegiate golf champion, and the sport actually influenced her choice of college. She told the Pepperdine Waves that she picked the university for three reasons: “First, I really like Coach [Laurie] Gibbs. I believe all good players have good coaches and I believe Coach Gibbs can help me become a good player. Second, Malibu has great weather conditions, which create a better environment for me to practice. Third, Pepperdine is a small school that is strong in both academics and athletics,” she said.
While at Pepperdine, Zhu earned multiple honors for her achievements in athletics and academics, including WGCA All-American Scholar, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and WCC All-Academic.
She married Morikawa in November 2022
John & Joseph Photography
Morikawa and Zhu got engaged in November 2021, around four years after they first began dating. In an interview with thePGA Tourin 2022, Morikawa said that he found proposing was harder than playing golf at an elite level. “[I was] way more nervous proposing. It’s not even the same. It’s not even in the same boat. It is so far gone,” he explained.
“I mean golf I do it every day. It’s normal. Proposing is not,” he added. “That morning I practiced with my caddie in the Bahamas and we were on a cart and I was driving into ropes and going all over the place. It was nerve-wracking.”
The couplemarried in November 2022at Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. They shared the day with around 100 close friends and family, and a 10-piece wind and string orchestra played. The newlyweds exchanged traditional vows at the ceremony before sharing their own personal vows with each other in private.
Meanwhile, Zhu shared pictures from the occasion on Instagram, writing, “11.26.22 A day we will remember forever 🤍.”
She shares a dog with Morikawa
The couple frequently share photos with him, and Koa even has his ownInstagrampage.
She’s supportive of Morikawa’s golf career
Collin Morikawa with his wife Katherine Zhu after winning the tournament during the final round of ZOZO Championship on October 22, 2023 in Inzai, Chiba, Japan.Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty
Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty
Zhu often posts images of her husband on social media, enthusiastically supporting him in his career. When he won the 2020 PGA Championship, she posted photos of the two of them with the trophy onInstagram. “You continue to amaze me every single day,” she wrote. “I am so happy to see you accomplish a goal that you’ve worked so hard for! I am so proud of you!”
In October 2023, Morikawa won the Zozo Championship in Japan after a 27-month losing streak on the PGA Tour.
“You’ve worked so hard for this moment. I’m so incredibly proud of you!” Zhu wrote onInstagramfollowing her husband’s career-redeeming win.
She’s been Morikawa’s caddie
Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR/Getty
A golf fan and golfer herself, Zhu is sometimes seen caddying for her husband. In 2022, she joined her then-fiancé at Augusta National Golf Club for the Par Three Contest ahead of the Masters.
“Golf is such a big part of my life. It’s taught me to be strong when things aren’t going well. It’s taught me to respect others around me. Most importantly, golf has created opportunities that have made lifelong memories that I’ll cherish forever. I’m so grateful for this amazing game,” she wrote onInstagramin 2019.
She and Morikawa attended Wimbledon in July 2023
Collin Morikawa Instagram
Zhu and Morikawa were among the spectators at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships in England.
“Memories were made!” Morikawa wrote onInstagramalongside a photo of him and Zhu with a grass court behind them.
She runs half marathons
Katherine Morikawa and Collin Morikawa.Collin Morikawa Instagram
In November 2023, she completed her first half marathon in Malibu, California. “Best part was having my husband and friends out there supporting me!” Zhu wrote onInstagram.
Since then, she’s completed the Rose Bowl half marathon in Pasadena, California, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in Las Vegas.
source: people.com
