It was looking like Jason Day and Patrick Cantlay were going to come out on top at the Genesis Invitational. However, two-shot leads were not at all safe when Hideki Matsuyama started heating up. He notched a nine-under 62 in the final round that had the crowd cheering en route to his victory. Fellow competitor and PGA Tour legend Tiger Woods could not help but give him his flowers on X after the massive win.
“Congratulations to @hidekiofficial_ on an incredible win at @thegenesisinv. I was watching all day and seeing a record-breaking 62 and coming from six shots back is truly special,” Tiger Woods wrote.
Matsuyama’s path to a Genesis Invitational win
Patrick Cantlay needed to fall behind on Sunday at the Genesis Invitational for Hideki Matsuyama to thrive. The American had a front nine at even par then had bogeys on his back nine. This eviscerated his five-shot lead which he accumulated on Friday. Xander Schauffele also fell behind a hole behind the rest of the pack. This is exactly the opportunity that Matsuyama needed.
The Japanese golf sensation lit up for three straight birdies which put him atop the ladder. Then, he hit a tap-in birdie on what could have possibly been the hardest hole at the Genesis Invitational. He got the shot to sink at par-4 15th. More tap-in birdies were ahead of Matsuyama at par-3 16th and par-5 17th. Will Zalatoris then made a crucial bogey to effectively seal the deal on Matsuyama’s victory. He still got a two-putt to end the run at 62 but no one else could chase him.
Matsuyama broke multiple PGA Tour records at the Riviera. For one, he had the lowest final-round score in any tour event that took place at the Riviera. Moreover, This also marked his ninth career win. The luck at the Riviera mixed with his ability to clutch up during the final round netted him a record that KJ Choi once held. Matsuyama now has the most wins among Asians in the history of the tour.
This could be the start of an incredible run by Matsuyama. He could just win a lot more as the PGA Tour continues.
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