Photo: Youtube
This is a golfing power couple.
By Nicole Pomarico — Written on Aug 10, 2020
Now that 23-year-old Collin Morikawa is officially the new champ of the 2020 PGA Championship, all eyes are on him. And he's not just winning at golf — it seems like he's winning in his personal life, too. As far as we can tell on social media, Morikawa is in a very happy relationship with girlfriend Katherine Zhu, and they make a pretty adorable couple.
But Zhu is so much more than just Morikawa's girlfriend and golf caddy — she's a golfer herself, and a pretty impressive one at that.
Who is Collin Morikawa's girlfriend, Katherine Zhu?
Here's what to know about her, because soon, she may end up following in his footsteps to golf glory.
Collin Morikawa and his girlfriend Katherine Zhu have been together for three years.
In a post celebrating their anniversary back in March, Morikawa posted a photo of him and Zhu together, sharing that they'd been dating for three years and writing, "So in love with you, you're my everything." They might both be young, but they seem to have really found true love with each other, and the coupled up photos are plentiful on both of their Instagram photos.
Katherine Zhu golfed at Pepperdine University.
Before graduating, Zhu played golf at Pepperdine after spending her childhood training and playing the sport competitively.
"Golf is such a big part of my life. It’s taught me to be strong when things aren’t going well," she wrote in an Instagram post in 2019, explaining her love of the game. 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.
Katherine Zhu also fosters dogs.
Aside from golf, one of Zhu's biggest passions is fostering dogs, although she says she finds it "incredibly hard" when the time comes to say goodbye when they've found their forever homes.
"Each of them never fail to bring a smile to my face every morning. They have made me so happy the past few months," Zhu said in an Instagram post she shared earlier this month. "I don’t know what I would have done without them. Honestly, I am so so grateful and thankful for being able to foster these cuties. They will always be my forever best friends."
When she's not golfing, she's hiking.
Zhu seems to love the great outdoors and all things athletic. When she isn't on the golf course, Zhu loves to hike, and she's shared several breathtaking photos from her hikes, which Morikawa seems to join her on pretty often. No wonder she stays in such great shape! It's easy to get inspired to get outside and get moving just by seeing the gorgeous sights that Zhu posts.
Katherine Zhu is a self-proclaimed foodie.
In her Instagram bio, Zhu shares that she loves food, and she's not lying. Not only does she have an Instagram highlight dedicated to the yummy foods she's eaten during her travels, but she will also frequently share photos to her grid showing off her favorite meals. It seems like this girl is all about having fun... and chowing down on delicious food in the process.
Collin Morikawa credits his wins to Zhu.
In an interview following his PGA win, Morikawa said that he didn't start winning golf games until Zhu came into his life.
"Kat has been by my side through it all. She would hate me if I didn't say this, but I didn't start winning in college until she showed up in my life, so thanks Kat," he said. "Whenever she's there, it always just gets me away from golf. She knows how I'm feeling after golf, like you said, she's played collegiately, she knows golf can take a toll on you, whether it's a good or bad day. So she's on that same swing of if we're playing well or not well, but, yeah, I'm very lucky to have her. Having someone at dinner makes things a lot nicer than sitting down there at the hotel by myself."
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.