Collin Morikawa birdies the 18th to win Pebble Beach and end more than 2-year drought

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Collin Morikawa had gone 28 months since his last win, and he was reminded Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am why it's never easy.

He was among six players who had a share of the lead at one point in a wild and windy final round, one name getting everyone's attention — Scottie Scheffler — who nearly pulled off the biggest comeback in the tournament's history.

Tougher still was standing in the fairway on the par-5 18th, the cold Pacific air ripping off the ocean to his left, and having to wait some 20 minutes as Jacob Bridgeman had to figure out how to play off the beach only for his shot to go into the ocean.

He said he walked down to the ocean and back about 10 times.

“I tried to think about anything else other than golf,” Morikawa said. “Thankfully, you had the nicest backdrop you could ask for so that was very, very easy. For me, it was how do I stay loose, how do I stay warm and not just think about the shot.”

Morikawa delivered the goods when they mattered, back-to-back birdies to take the lead, and one last birdie with a 4-iron from 235 yards he had to start out over the ocean wall and let the wind bring it back to the green.

Two putts from the collar gave him a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory over Sepp Straka and Min Woo Lee.

“Great field, great leaderboard — looking at it the entire day,” Morikawa said. “And just to be able to pull of those last two shots, it feels great.”

The two-time major champion finished at 22-under 266. He had gone 45 starts since he last won the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023.

He can only hope for bigger things with a new outlook on golf — play the game for the joy, not the technique — and in life. Morikawa took the occasion of such a big win to announce he and his wife are expecting their first child this spring.

"There’s so much to life, there’s so much to enjoy," he said.

Scheffler began the final day eight shots behind and was 7 under through seven holes before the wind began whipping. He had three eagles in his round of 63, the last one a 6-iron to 30 inches on the final hole that allowed him to tie Morikawa for the lead.

“I was very aware of Scottie Scheffler’s score today. I mean, what a player,” Morikawa said.

Scheffler didn't think it would be enough, and it wasn't.

Moments later, Morikawa holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th to take the lead. He followed with a 6-iron into 8 feet for another birdie. But a bogey on the par-3 17th — his tee shot was dangerously close to the ocean left of the green — and Lee finishing birdie-birdie for a 65, created another tie.

For all the drama, it was particularly tense on the par-5 18th as Morikawa waited. And waited. It was 20 minutes from hitting his tee shot to hitting his 4-iron, a wait made longer considering what was at stake.

“I was able to pull off a great 4-iron,” he said. "And man, I need a drink.”

Akshay Bhatia, the 54-hole leader by two shots, made only two birdies over his last 29 holes. He fell out of the lead after four holes and never caught up, closing with a 72 to finish three back.

Scheffler was 10 shots behind after the first day when he shot 72. He was 13 shots back at one point on Friday. He still managed to be a major threat. He wound up in a tie for fourth with Tommy Fleetwood (66), extending his streak to 18 PGA Tour starts in the top 10.

“I had to do something special to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “The back nine, I felt like I had to get to 21 or 22 (under). I played a bit more aggressive than I normally am. It was a fun day overall. These are the weeks I'm proud of. I felt like I was battling to give myself a chance.”

Among his regrets was a wedge to a back pin on the 15th that was a foot away from spinning back to close range. It hopped hard over the green. He chipped to 6 feet and missed the par putt.

Morikawa charged his way into the mix with a 62 on Saturday to get within two shots of Bhatia, and he did enough right to stay close — six players had a share of the lead at some point during the final round — until delivering the goods at the end.

The Cal alum won for the seventh time on the PGA Tour since turning pro a week before the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Winning at Pebble moves him to No. 5 in the world.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Collin Morikawa reacts after making a birdie putt on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Collin Morikawa, right, celebrates with his wife, Katherine Zhu, after making a birdie putt on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Collin Morikawa celebrates at Pebble Beach Golf Links after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Min Woo Lee, from Australia, hits from the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Sepp Straka, from Austria, putts on the seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Scottie Scheffler hits from the 18th tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Collin Morikawa hits from the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Collin Morikawa, right, celebrates with his wife, Katherine Zhu, after making a birdie putt on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the final round to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Edwards won the Most Valuable Player award while leading his “Stars” team past their fellow Americans on the “Stripes” team 47-21 to win the final of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star claimed his first All-Star MVP award with a tying 3-pointer in the first round-robin game followed by eight points in the final, which was the only chapter without a dramatic late finish in this mini-tournament comprising the main event of All-Star weekend at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome.

The NBA's fourth format in four years matched two teams of American All-Stars against a team representing the World, hoping to stoke nationalistic passion from players and fans during an Olympic year.

The slightly older Stripes had beaten the slightly younger Stars on De’Aaron Fox’s 3-pointer at the buzzer in the second 12-minute, round-robin game. But Edwards led the Stars to victory in the rematch with the Stripes, who appeared to run out of gas while playing in their third straight mini-game.

“We chose to compete today, and we came out on top,” Edwards said. “I ain’t going to lie, Wemby set the tone. He came out and played hard, and we had to follow that.”

Indeed, Victor Wembanyama effectively challenged his fellow All-Stars to take this game seriously, and they largely appeared to do it. Despite going 0-2, Wembanyama led the World team in scoring in both games with 14 points in the opener and 19 in the third game.

Along with the late-game theatrics, the event generally appeared to be played at a higher level of competitiveness than most All-Star Games in recent years, suggesting the league might have finally cracked the code on the long-standing question of how to make this midseason showcase more entertaining.

“It was a pretty good display of basketball,” Wembanyama said. “Better than last year, in my opinion. It was fun. … I think being honest with ourselves is good. It’s a game we love, it’s a game I personally cherish, so being competitive is the least I can do.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver thanked the All-Stars for playing hard when he presented the championship trophy to the Stars.

Kawhi Leonard thrilled his home crowd with a 31-point barrage for the Stripes in the final round-robin game, but he managed just one point in the final. Tyrese Maxey led the Stars with nine points in the clincher.

Scottie Barnes won the opening 12-minute game for the Stars with a game-ending 3-pointer in overtime, beating the World 37-36 after Edwards forced OT.

After Fox's dagger in the second game, Leonard utterly dominated the third game before hitting a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the Stripes’ 48-45 victory.

The World team was loaded with talent, but NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic both sat out its second game, likely to preserve the health of two superstars who have struggled with injury in the past month.

John Tesh took the court with his band before the game for a live rendition of “Roundball Rock,” the iconic 1990s theme song of “NBA on NBC," to mark the league's return to the network this season. That network partnership is also the reason the All-Star Game was an afternoon affair on the West Coast, because NBC airs the Winter Olympics at night.

The Intuit Dome crowd included former President Barack Obama, who received a standing ovation pregame.

Edwards scored 13 points and forced overtime on a 3-pointer with 13.3 seconds left in regulation to begin the mini-tourney.

Edwards hit a 14-footer to begin the first-to-five-points overtime period. Wembanyama made a 3-pointer, but Raptors star Barnes ended it by draining his only shot of the game.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 10 points, but Norman Powell — a born-and-raised Californian who represents Jamaica internationally — missed a potential winning shot for the World at the regulation buzzer.

NBA scoring leader Doncic played the first 5:05 for the World in the opening game before sitting down. The Lakers superstar hadn’t played since Feb. 5 due to a hamstring strain, but he was determined to play after receiving his sixth All-Star nod.

Donovan Mitchell took a pass under the net from LeBron James and kicked it out to Fox on the perimeter for the winner.

Jaylen Brown led the Stripes with 11 points, and James scored eight to begin his record 21st All-Star appearance.

Edwards and Cade Cunningham scored 11 points apiece for the Stars.

“Old heads 1-0,” James said with a laugh. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of basketball, so no matter what’s going on, we know how to keep our composure and execute.”

A few hours beforehand, the top scorer in NBA history said the game’s presence in the Los Angeles area meant “nothing, because this is not our building. This is a road game.”

Indeed, the Clippers fans in Intuit Dome booed James and Doncic whenever they touched the ball in the first two games.

Leonard thrilled his home crowd with a dynamic effort, going 11 of 13 and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc. The seven-time All-Star made his first seven shots with five 3-pointers amid raucous cheers from the extra-steep supporters’ section called The Wall behind one basket at this futuristic 18-month-old arena.

He was unstoppable despite a reasonable defensive effort from the World team led by Wembanyama, who scored 19 points before missing a tying 3-pointer attempt at the buzzer.

James put the Stripes ahead with 31 seconds left on a putback dunk, but Wembanyama hit two free throws to tie it before Leonard called game.

Jokic and Doncic didn't play, leaving the World with just seven players.

The All-Star weekend stays out West in February 2027 when Phoenix hosts for the fourth time.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

USA Stars guard Anthony Edwards reacts after scoring during the NBA All-Star basketball game against USA Stripes Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

USA Stars guard Anthony Edwards, left, shakes hands with commissioner Adam Silver after the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

USA Stars guard Anthony Edwards reacts after scoring during the NBA All-Star basketball game against USA Stripes Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

World forward Luka Dončić, of Slovenia, dribbles during the NBA All-Star basketball game against the USA Stars Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Barack Obama talks to commissioner Adam Silver before the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

World center Victor Wembanyama, of France, defends on USA Stars guard Anthony Edwards during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

World center Victor Wembanyama, of France, shoots over USA Stars guard Devin Booker, left, and forward Jalen Duren during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)