The usually bustling tourist town of Lahaina, less than 20 minutes south of Kapalua, has been the hardest hit. More than 2,200 structures on the island have been destroyed or damaged by the fires — about 86 per cent of them residential, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said.

That’s why Collin Morikawa concedes it will be “scary” returning to Lahaina, where the Californian’s fraternal grandparents were born. They owned the Morikawa Restaurant, believed to have been in existence in the 1950s and 1960s. The two-time major winner was asked Tuesday at the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields if he was “fearful” of seeing the devastation at Lahaina come the first week of January.

“I am,” Morikawa said, having earned his spot at the Sentry courtesy of being among the top 50 on the FedEx Cup standings who made it to the BMW. Those top 50 will be eligible for Sentry, which changed its eligibility from its previous winner’s-only status. “Going back to a place like that where I know I have so many connections … it’s going to be very eerie,” Morikawa added.

“Every year we would always walk by the store that ended up being where the Morikawa restaurant used to be. I am very scared. But I think with being scared, also you need to step up. You need to be courageous, you need to be brave. We have that ability to reach out to millions of people, [with] our network of the PGA Tour and being professional athletes, to make it better [raise money and aid]. Find charities, find ways to help out these people because, they’re doing all they can and it’s always nice to have a helping hand. Golf will be very weird that week, I guarantee that. It’s only a handful months away. Even with that time, stuff can’t be rebuilt that quickly.”

World No.3 and reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm also has an affinity for Kapalua from playing the tournament. He won the Tournament of Champions this year, a year after shooting 33 under par for four rounds and finishing second to Cameron Smith by one shot.

Rahm said professional golf should be least of anyone’s concerns when it comes to Maui. The Spaniard echoed Morikawa in wanting to use the PGA Tour’s platform to raise money for the island.

“Obviously the priority right now wouldn’t be [the tournament at] Kapalua,” Rahm said. “It’s really sad what has happened over there, especially for a culture that cares about their native land as much as the Hawaiians do. I’m deeply sorry for everybody that lost somebody over there. I know Collin shared a bit of his [grandfather’s] story … I’m hoping they can rebuild Lahaina as quickly as possible. If we do go and play, I’m hoping through the tournament we can help the community as much as we can.”

Along with Morikawa, who is donating money from every birdie in the FedEx Cup to the recovery efforts, Michelle Wie West said she is donating $100,000 to support “the urgent needs of these families” who are dealing with the tragedy.

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The restaurant in Lahaina, Hawaii, has long been out of business, but now the building that housed the Morikawa Restaurant is gone, too.

Wednesday’s deadly wildfires that destroyed Front Street at the popular tourist destination on Maui and killed at least 36 people hit Collin Morikawa harder than many people looking on from afar. Morikawa’s fraternal grandparents were born in historic Lahaina Town, and, yes, the Morikawa Restaurant, believed to have been in existence in the 1950s and 1960s was owned by his family. He still has relatives who live there, while many others have moved to Oahu.

“It’s devastating what we’ve been able to … what we’ve been seeing. The before-and-after photos are just heartbreaking, knowing that my entire dad’s side of the family grew up there,” Morikawa said on Thursday after completing his opening round in the St Jude FedEx Championship. “My grandparents were born in Lahaina. We had the restaurant out there. That’s what the photo was. We went there as kids. It’s a special place. It’s amazing how many things you take for granted really in life, and when you see that, it’s just heartbreaking.”

?#WATCH: As Satellite Imagery Reveals Devastation from Maui Fire as multiple Buildings, and Lives Lost
⁰?#Maui | #Hawaii
⁰The Maui Fire destroyed the town of Lahaina, causing significant devastation. Satellite imagery shows the before and after pictures, highlighting the… pic.twitter.com/KxdKdKUBfZ

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) August 11, 2023

A native of Los Angeles, Morikawa remembers visiting Lahaina, and, of course, he’s asked about his ties to west Maui every January when he competes in the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort, where earlier this year he finished runner-up to Jon Rahm.

He said he woke up to the news and saw the devastation and knew that the building where the restaurant was located — he thinks it was most recently a jewellery store — was razed. Fire officials said more than 270 structures were damaged or destroyed, including a 200-year-old church.

Morikawa believed that his extended family members were all right, but “to see how many people have passed away from that, yeah, it’s … I’m at a loss for words”.

But not at a loss for finding a way to help.

Over the course of the three-event FedEx Cup Playoffs, Morikawa is donating $1,000 to charity for every birdie he converts. He logged six on Thursday in a five-under 65 that left him tied for third, two strokes behind Jordan Spieth. The money, he said, will go to Maui United Way and World Central Kitchen, “to help out not just people in Maui but obviously hopefully people in Hawaii because it’s everywhere”.

 

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Winless since the 2021 British Open, Morikawa, 26, likes to think of the gesture as giving him extra motivation.

“Yeah, look, I want to make a lot of birdies for them,” he said. “One of our friends texted me, and they’re like: ‘OK, $100,000.’ I’m like, shoot, 100 birdies in three tournaments? I don’t know if that’s ever been done. But it would be a great feat to say the least.”

He hopes his peers will follow suit, and he plans to ask his sponsors to help, too, seeing how the PGA Tour has a tournament annually at Kapalua’s Plantation Course.

“It’s one of the best places in the world we travel to year in and year out to go to Kapalua, play golf there,” he said. “I’m going to be pushing hard to make those birdies, and hopefully everyone else can reach out and help out as much as they can.”

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