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LOS ANGELES — The dialog started seven years in the past when Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama received his fourth PGA Tour title to go Shigeki Maruyama, his mentor. Maruyama informed him the last word mark was 9 tour wins, a report for many by an Asian-born participant.
Matsuyama had little purpose to consider that will come Sunday at Riviera.
Six photographs behind to begin the ultimate spherical of the Genesis Invitational, Matsuyama delivered a report efficiency — 9-under 62, the bottom closing spherical by a winner at Riviera — to realize the report that basically mattered.
He now has 9 PGA Tour wins, one higher than K.J. Choi of South Korea.
“Reaching 9 wins was certainly one of my large objectives, passing Okay.J. Choi,” Matsuyama mentioned after his 3-shot victory. “After my eighth win, I have been battling my again harm. There have been numerous instances the place I felt I used to be by no means going to win once more. I struggled reaching to high 10, however I am actually completely happy that I used to be capable of win at the moment.”
This was an beautiful efficiency, second solely to his 61 within the ultimate spherical at Firestone in 2017 on a day nobody else shot decrease than 65.
Matsuyama was a part of a five-way tie for the lead on the again 9 till he hit a ravishing fade with a 6-iron from 187 yards right into a breeze on the powerful fifteenth gap that carried the bunker and rolled out to eight inches for a tap-in birdie.
“Good shot,” he mentioned.
On the par-3 sixteenth, he dangled the membership after his tee shot as a result of it was 5 yards proper of the place he had been aiming, solely to see it roll to six inches from the cup for one more birdie. He added a 3rd straight birdie with a chip down the slope on the par-5 seventeenth to simply over 3 ft.
Matsuyama flippantly pumped a fist — a uncommon present of emotion for him — when his 4-foot par putt with a pointy right-to-left break dropped in for a 62.
Doug Tewell shot 63 within the ultimate spherical to win in 1986, the earlier report. Matsuyama’s 62 was 1 off the course report of 61 set by Ted Tryba in 1999.
The one downer for Matsuyama was not having the ability to pose with Tiger Woods, the event host who needed to withdraw Friday with a bad case of the flu.
“To win on this event was certainly one of my objectives ever since I grew to become professional,” Matsuyama mentioned. “After Tiger grew to become the host, that objective grew to become rather a lot larger. A little bit disenchanted that I wasn’t capable of take an image with Tiger at the moment.”
Nonetheless, Woods let Matsuyama know he was watching.
“Congratulations to @hidekiofficial_ on an unbelievable win at @thegenesisinv,” Woods wrote on social media. “I used to be watching all day and seeing a report breaking 62 and coming from six photographs again is actually particular.”
Congratulations to @hidekiofficial_ on an unbelievable win at @thegenesisinv. I used to be watching all day and seeing a report breaking 62 and coming from six photographs again is actually particular.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 19, 2024
Matsuyama entered the week with no top-10 end in 20 straight begins, the longest top-10 drought of his PGA Tour profession. Matsuyama was 80-1 to win getting into the week, in accordance with ESPN BET odds, and 125-1 getting into the ultimate spherical.
Matsuyama completed at 17-under 267 for a 3-shot victory over Will Zalatoris (69) and Luke List (68). Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, finest buddies enjoying within the ultimate group, pale in the course of the again 9 and tied for fourth.
“As soon as I noticed Hideki ending at 17 beneath, it was a little bit of a deflater, I am certain for the remainder of the sector,” Schauffele mentioned. “However hats off to him. It is unbelievable. He is finished it just a few instances now, capturing lights out on Sunday.”
It was the third time Matsuyama shot 63 or decrease on Sunday to win, most lately on the Sony Open two years in the past. Maruyama despatched him a textual content that day in Hawaii, reminding him of their discuss breaking Choi’s report.
Matsuyama mentioned profitable by no means entered his thoughts when he arrived on the course Sunday. Cantlay had a 2-shot lead and had not taken too many incorrect steps. However he was feeling somewhat ailing, and the golf was a wrestle.
Cantlay hit solely 4 fairways and 9 greens. He missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the straightforward opening par 5 after which did not have one other have a look at birdie till the sixth gap. He made a birdie putt from 50 ft on the 18th for a 72.
Cantlay performed with Schauffele, who struggled simply as a lot. Schauffele acquired again within the combine with a troublesome birdie on the par-4 tenth and holing a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 eleventh. He bogeyed the subsequent three holes and rallied on the finish for a 70.
Checklist set the early tempo. Zalatoris took the lead in the course of the again 9. At one level there was a five-way tie for the lead heading to the powerful stretch on the again 9 at Riviera.
After which Matsuyama took over with three straight birdies.
“The second shot on 15 was in all probability the very best shot I had,” he mentioned by means of his interpreter.
Matsuyama had struggled the final two years, beginning with a neck and again harm at Bay Hill in March 2022. He had solely six top-10s worldwide throughout that stretch and fell out of the highest 50 on this planet.
“Ever since that harm, I used to be fearful each week one thing dangerous would possibly occur,” Matsuyama mentioned. “This week I had no challenge. I performed with none worries. That basically helped.”
The win was value $4 million from the $20 million purse and strikes him to No. 20 on this planet with your complete main season forward of him. Matsuyama now has 18 wins worldwide, eight on the Japan Golf Tour and the unofficial Hero World Problem, additionally hosted by Woods. At the very least he has an image from that day.
ESPN Stats & Info and The Related Press contributed to this report.
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