Hideki Matsuyama sets PGA Tour record score, wins Sentry Event
Nick Piastowski
Hideki Matsuyama hits the ball on the 4th hole at Kapalua Plantation Course on Sunday.
Getty Images
When Hideki Matsuyama was asked by a reporter after he absolutely destroyed Kapalua Plantation Course in three rounds what he thought was the best part of the match, he whispered to an interpreter standing to his left. He said he wasn’t sure. As humble as ever. He’s not trying to sell.
Then again, he might also have a hard time choosing.
On the tee? Check. Away from the tee? Check. Greenery around? Check. On the green? Check. consistency? Yes, more than 54 holes, but that will be settled Sunday in the final round of the Sentinel Event, the PGA Tour’s season opener.
Check. From the age of one to eighteen, everything is much the same, and very cleverly so. This is also true historically. Matsuyama caught 7 birdies and 1 eagle in this round, shooting 65, 8 under par, and the championship total score of 35 under par, beating Collin Morikawa by three strokes ), setting the PGA Tour record for the lowest 72-hole score by one stroke relative to par. It also marked his 11th career Tour title.
On Sunday, just like Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Matsuyama once again showed off his bag expertise. what did you Feeling is the best part? Birdies on holes 5, 8, 9, 11 and 12? Those are all good. The putts on holes 8, 11 and 12 are all 20 feet or longer. Or would you rather hit 5 more balls into the hole? It came from 107 yards out, and Matsuyama marveled at that one.
Or do you prefer the action on the 16th? There he felt the heat. There, he basically won the game. On the 15th hole, after Morikawa reduced the lead to two shots, Matsuyama hit hard on the right side of the fairway, threw the wedge to 4 feet, made birdie, and restored the three-shot advantage. Since then, he has set a record of 17 pars and 18 birdies.
After speaking, he clenched his fists.
Even for him, you don’t seem to think this is the best time of his week.
takeout
Matsuyama looked very engaged.
Ranking breakdown
— Hideki Matsuyama starts the final round with a one-shot lead. Matsuyama is 27 under, Collin Morikawa is 26 under, Thomas Detry is 22 under and Seongjae Im is 21 under.
— Matsuyama holed out from 107 yards on the 417-yard par-4 second hole to extend his lead to two shots. Matsuyama was 29 under, Morikawa was at 27 under and Hayashi was at 22 under.
— Matsuyama birdied the 520-yard par-5 hole to extend his lead to three shots after hitting his third shot to 14 inches on the fifth hole. Matsuyama is at 30 under, Morikawa at 27 under and Hayashi at 23 under.
— Morikawa three-putted from 56 feet and bogeyed the 418-yard par-4 sixth hole, extending Matsuyama’s lead to four. Matsuyama is at 30 under, Morikawa at 26 under and Hayashi at 23 under.
— Matsuyama’s lead fell back to three when he made bogey on the 532-yard par-4 seventh hole after missing the green with his second shot. Matsuyama was 29 under, Morikawa was at 26 under and Hayashi was at 23 under.
— Matsuyama and Morikawa each had birdies on the 185-yard par-3 No. 8 — Matsuyama on a 20-footer, Morikawa on a 14-footer — and Matsuyama’s lead remained at three strokes. Matsuyama is at 30 under, Morikawa at 27 under and Hayashi at 23 under.
— Matsuyama birdied the 8-foot, 545-yard par-5 No. 9 to extend his lead to four shots. Matsuyama is at 31 under, Morikawa at 27 under and Hayashi at 25 under.
— Morikawa birdied the 377-yard, par-4 10th hole from 10 feet to cut the lead to within 3 yards. Matsuyama is at 31 under, Morikawa at 28 under and Hayashi at 25 under.
— Matsuyama and Morikawa each birdied the 167-yard, par-3 11th hole — Matsuyama from 30 feet, Morikawa from 11 feet — and Matsuyama’s lead remained at three shots. Matsuyama was at 32 under, Morikawa at 29 under and Hayashi at 25 under.
— Matsuyama extended his lead to four shots with a birdie on the 21-foot, 429-yard 12th hole. Matsuyama is at 33 under, Morikawa at 29 under and Hayashi at 25 under.
— Morikawa birdied the 6-foot, 297-yard par-4 No. 14 to get within three shots. Matsuyama was at 33 under and Morikawa was at 30 under.
— Morikawa birdied the 551-yard, par-5 15th hole to get within two strokes. Matsuyama was at 33 under and Morikawa was at 31 under.
— Under pressure, Matsuyama hit his tee shot to the right of the fairway on the 363-yard, par-4 16th hole and hit his wedge to 4 feet for a birdie that returned the lead to three shots. Matsuyama was at 34 under and Morikawa was at 31 under.
— On the 678-yard par-5 18th, Matsuyama hit his tee shot left of the fairway, hit his second shot right of the green, pushed the ball to 8 feet, and the putt fell for a birdie. He shot an 8-under 65 and finished at 35-under, his lowest score relative to par in the 72 holes. Morikawa finished second at 32 under, and Lin finished third at 29 under.
last word
“The last putt, I felt like if I made it, it would be a record, so I’m glad it went in.” — Matsuyama said through a translator on Golf Channel after the round
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Nick Piastowski
Golf Network Editor
Nick Piastowski is senior editor for Golf.com and Golf Magazine. He edits, writes and develops stories across the golf spectrum. When he’s not writing about how to hit golf balls farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing games, hitting the ball left, right and short, then washing it down with a cold beer Fraction. You can contact him at nick.piastowski@golf.com to learn more about these topics – his stories, his games or his beers.
