On Sunday in The Genesis Invitational, Hideki Matsuyama broke the Riviera record for the lowest final round by a victor, earning the Japanese star another record that holds even greater significance for him.
Matsuyama won for the seventh time on the PGA TOUR after coming back from a six-shot deficit with a 9-under 62 at The Riviera Country Club, which was highlighted by back-to-back shots within a foot. That beats the mark he shared with South Korea’s K.J. Choi for players who were born in Asia.
Matsuyama defeated Will Zalatoris (69) and Luke List (68) by three shots with a final score of 17-under 267.
“Trying to figure out if it was the best round I’ve ever witnessed in person. I’ve never seen anything better on TOUR, that’s for sure. He made four putts that looked like this for birdie. He made a few poor driving strokes, but he bounced back well and never really had a lengthy par putt. It was impressive.” J.T. Poston, Matsuyama’s playing companion on Sunday, commented
Best friends in the last group, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, faltered in the middle of the back nine and tied for fourth.
It was Matsuyama’s first victory since he defeated Shigeki Maruyama in the Sony Open playoffs two years prior. Shigeki Maruyama texted Matsuyama to remind him of a previous talk they had about being the most successful Asian player on the PGA TOUR.
At the beginning of the final round, Cantlay was leading by two shots and appeared to be in complete control of his game, so this one didn’t seem likely. Cantlay, however, struggled right away because he was unable to locate fairways or greens and was unable to make several crucial putts.
Cantlay didn’t have another chance to make a birdie putt until the sixth hole after missing a 12-footer on the straightforward par-5 first hole. His final score was 72.
Cantlay was playing with Schauffele, who had similar difficulties. With a solid birdie on the par-4 10th and a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 11th, Schauffele returned to the mix. After bogeying the following 3 holes, he made a comeback to finish with a 70.
List got things started early. In the midst of the back nine, Zalatoris seized the lead. Prior to the challenging stretch on the back nine at Riviera, there was once a five-way tie for the lead.
And then, with unadulterated genius, Matsuyama took command. He rolled out to eight inches and carried the bunker on his approach to the difficult 15th.
Speaking via his interpreter, he remarked, “I think the second shot on 15 was the best shot I had.”
He tracked the flight of the club on the sixteenth par-3, letting it dangle, not knowing where it would end up, until he heard the audience applaud a shot that rolled to within six inches. On the par-5 17th, he rose and fell for his third consecutive birdie to extend his lead to three strokes, and at that point, nobody could catch him.
Matsuyama’s last act was a brilliant 4-footer for par on the last hole, and when it fell, the Japanese star clenched his fist in an uncommon display of passion. Doug Tewell’s 1986 record for the best closing round by a champion at Riviera was surpassed by one with his 62.
Matsuyama had suffered for the previous two years, beginning in March 2022 in Bay Hill with a neck and back ailment. During that time, he only had six top-10 finishes globally and dropped out of the top 50.
“Ever since that injury, I’ve been concerned that something negative would occur every week. I had no problems this week. I was worry-free when I played. That was very beneficial.” Matsuyama said.
With the entire major season ahead of him, the victory pushes him up to No. 20 in the world and is worth $4 million of the $20 million purse. Matsuyama currently holds 18 victories in total, eight of which came from the Japan Golf Tour and the unofficial Hero World Challenge, which Tiger Woods also hosts.
“I spent the entire day watching. It’s very special to witness a record-breaking 62 after trailing by just six shots.” Woods posted on X.
