Maui wildfires: Collin Morikawa pledges $1,000 for every birdie he makes during the FedEx Cup playoffs to aid recovery
Maui wildfires: Collin Morikawa pledges $1,000 for every birdie he makes during the FedEx Cup playoffs to aid recovery
- Wildfires have burned through Maui, destroying more than 1,700 buildings
- Morikawa’s grandfather owned a restaurant in Lahaina, where fires broke out
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Collin Morikawa has pledged to donate $1,000 for every birdie he makes in the FedEx Cup playoffs to aid recovery from the deadly fires that have ravaged Maui.
The golfer’s grandparents were born in Lahaina, the historic Maui town devastated by the fires that claimed at least 53 lives. He still has relatives on Maui.
“I think they’re fine, but just to hear… I woke up this morning, just watched the news, and to see how many people have died from that, I’m at a loss for words,” Morikawa said.
Morikawa, who won the PGA Championship and the Open within two years of graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, began the FedEx Cup playoffs Thursday with six birdies in his opening round 65 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
On Thursday morning, he posted his relief effort on Instagram and by the end of the day had decided to send the money raised to two charities in Hawaii: Maui United Way and World Central Kitchen.
Collin Morikawa pledged $1,000 per birdie at the FedEx Cup playoffs to help Maui with relief efforts
Wildfires have burned throughout Maui, destroying more than 1,700 buildings and claiming lives
Morikawa grew up in the Los Angeles area, but he said his father spent summers in Lahaina because his grandparents were there.
The Morikawa Restaurant closed several years ago, although a local man happened to find a matchbook of the restaurant on eBay a few years ago and worked through the PGA Tour and the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua to get it to him.
“It’s terrible what we’ve seen. The before-and-after photos are just heartbreaking, knowing that my entire father’s side of the family grew up there,” he said.
“My grandparents were born in Lahaina. We had the restaurant out there. That was the picture. We went there as kids. It’s a special place.
Morikawa’s grandparents were born in the historic Maui district that has been hit hard
“It’s amazing how many things you really take for granted in life, and when you see that, it’s just heartbreaking.”
Morikawa hopes other people will keep his promise by contributing to his birdies. He has 11 rounds left and said a friend texted him that he might be able to hit $100,000.
“Look, it’s one of the best places in the world that we travel year in and year out to go to Kapalua and play golf there,” he said. “I know I’m going to ask my sponsors, I’m going to ask people I know to help.”
“Anything helps – per birdie I make, whatever you can afford, whatever you want to put into it. I’m going to push hard to make those birdies, and hopefully everyone can reach out and help as much as they can. ‘