As the sun beat down on the 18th fairway at Royal St George's on Sunday, Collin Morikawa was the coolest man in the house.
Just 24-years-old and striding towards his second major and golf's oldest and most coveted prize. The hard graft had been done and the LA-born superstar was able to bask in the moment and the adulation of the Kent crowd.
Oozing composure and confidence on the green, Morikawa very nearly sunk a birdie putt from the outer reaches, before tapping in the par to confirm himself as the Champion Golfer of the Year.
Then came the smile. The wide, toothy grin flashing the pearly whites. It's been seen before, as the youngster stormed to the PGA Championship title in August 2020, albeit with the absence of the masses watching on in person.
This time all eyes were present. And the cheers, and the camera flashes.
Collin Morikawa became the Open champion on his debut appearance in the competition
A seminal moment had fallen upon the golfing world, yet another record broken. Morikawa had become the first player to win two different majors in two debut appearances.
Now, with only the Masters and US Open in his sights for the career clean sweep, serious questions are being asked about how far he can truly go.
Given his current trajectory, Morikawa could well be set to enter Tiger Woods territory. It's almost mythical stuff, but not out of the realms of possibility.
But what about the man himself? What is his story and which things make him tick in life? Sportsmail took a deeper look...
With a bogey-free round on Sunday he achieved the title of Champion Golfer of the Year
To peer across many sporting disciplines, a common theme of hardship and struggle can often be identified among many superstars.
Youngsters rising up against adversity and doing everything in their power to make it, and achieve a better way of living in the process.
For Morikawa, this was not quite the case.
Brought up by his humble family, a young Collin spent his formative years in a comfortable environment in southern California.
His parents, Blaine and Debbie, are of Japanese-Chinese descent and part-owned a business running a laundry company.
The commercial-laundry empire, near downtown Los Angeles, is still within the family and delivers linens, tablecloths and household items to local restaurants.
Morikawa and his younger brother, Garrett, were well looked after.
At a young age it quickly became clear Morikawa (right) had a divine gift when it came to swinging a golf club: Pictured with his younger brother Garrett
Speaking to Golf digest earlier in the year, Morikawa outlined: 'We never had to think about money growing up.
'Never had to think about what we were having for dinner. I wasn’t a kid that wanted many things; I never asked for a lot. But if I did need something or I did want something, I was very lucky to have parents who were able to afford stuff like that.'
This middle class setting made for the perfect conditions. Morikawa was able to develop his fascination and infatuation with the endlessly complex game that is golf, and his family were able to nurture and support his efforts.
It wasn't long before it became abundantly clear the youngster had a gift.
Childhood holidays to Hawaii, to visit his fraternal grandparents, would allow Morikawa to experience the sport differently playing at an assortment of course, while also honing his skills back home at the Chevy Chase Country Club, a private nine-hole layout in Glendale.
When Morikawa was just five, his parents convinced the organizers of a junior golf camp at Scholl Canyon to let their son participate, and it quickly became apparent that his golf swing mechanics were far superior than any other infants in his age bracket.
Naturally, golf coaches took a keen interest. From there the snowball effect began, as more and more people wanted to work with Morikawa and the youngster improved exponentially as a result.
Morikawa soon met instructor Rick Sessinghaus and the pair formed a close bond. The raw potential fascinated the PGA teacher, and he soon had the young Californian all over the golf course, hitting balls from a variety of lies in a host of different weather conditions.
High flying all-AmericanMorikawa's rise through the junior ranks was rapid, and it came as no surprise that the offers of sporting scholarships were piling up in his later adolescent years.
With a string of victories in youth events under his belt, Morikawa was a hot commodity.
He would later admit: 'I was able to really look at the entire country and say, OK, this is where I want to go.
'My mom went to USC, so I grew up a Trojan fan. The Pac-12 was always in my blood. I always viewed the Pac-12 as the best.'
After narrowing down his options throughout California state, Morikawa opted for Cal-Berkeley, and wasted little time in stamping his authority as the University's most competent and well rounded golfing star.
Balancing golf with his studies, Morikawa graduated from Berkeley with a business degree
In June 2016 he won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur with a final-round 62 and a sharp rise into the serious sporting sphere was to begin.
After winning the Trans-Mississippi Amateur he narrowly missed out on scooping the Capital Classic after a tense play-off, but Morikawa was quickly faced with the burning conundrum that almost all frighteningly talented golfers have to deliberate over: remain in the education system or turn professional.
There are pros and cons to each. Tiger Woods famously slipped out of Stanford to take the mantle as golf's leading light, but Morikawa opted to continue diligently with his studies.
He explained to Golf Digest: 'People have said I’ve been very mature and, yes, I probably could have lived on my own.
'But I didn’t go to a school like Cal to play one year, have some good results and leave. Just wasn’t my mind-set.'
As a result, he majored in business and received a prestigious degree from the university which he collected in front of his teary and emotional family members.
Balancing his studies with long, labouring hours on the driving range, Morikawa was able to juggle the two and became Cal's first four-time All-American as a result; a status awarded to a top performing sporting scholar who exceeds the national average, standing way above all their peers.
Morikawa was handed this on each of his four years at Cal-Berkeley, with the establishment later enthusing that he had left an 'incredible legacy' behind.
Graduation meant only one thing - the PGA tour beckoned.
In a down-to-earth interview with Berkeley's inhouse college media, Morikawa spoke brightly about how his business degree would help him understand the intrinsic components of his future - of how to manage his own personal brand as an up and coming
