PGA TOUR Players
Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama
RANK 12 |
OWGR 5.54
Matsuyama won the FedEx St. Jude Championship by two strokes after shooting an even-par 70 in the final round.
Matsuyama looked like he was on his way to a runaway victory holding a five-shot lead after a birdie on 11. Things changed after a rules official came over on 12 tee and asked him about a pitch mark he fixed back on 7. It was determined that the pitch mark was not on his line so no penalty, but it seemed to shake Matsuyama as he played the next four holes in four-over-par. With Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland both charging, Matsuyama was able to dig deep and make birdies on the final two holes to claim his 10th career PGA Tour victory. Matsuyama played the event without his regular caddie who lost his visa after the duo was robbed following the Paris Olympics. It certainly has to be a satisfying victory considering everything Matsuyama was able to overcome to get the win. He now sits third in the FedExCup standings and will look to stay hot at the BMW Championship next week.
Matsuyama closed with a final round six-under 65 to claim a Bronze Medal at the Olympics.
Matsuyama began the round in fourth place but quickly worked his way into contention for Gold following birdies on four of the first six holes. Although he ended up posting a bogey-free round, he was unable to card birdies on the closing six holes but was able to hang on for the Bronze Medal. Matsuyama gained shots in every strokes gained category for the tournament and was T3 in GIR. It's his third top-10 over his last six starts.
Matsuyama carded a two-day total of two-under at the Genesis Scottish Open to miss the cut by one stroke.
Matsuyama shot over-par in the opening round, and a three-under 67 on Friday wasn't enough for him to see the weekend. He made just seven birdies across 36 holes, and he was mostly done in by his putter as he lost 4.8 strokes on the greens for the tournament. It's Matsuyama's first missed cut of the year, although his strong tee to green numbers this year indicate a bounce back could be in store.