Hideki Matsuyama didn’t play a perfect round Sunday at The Genesis Invitational, but he came close. Matsuyama carded a final-round, 9-under 62 at famed The Riviera Country Club, stampeding from six strokes back of 54-hole leader Patrick Cantlay to earn his ninth TOUR victory at 17-under 267, three strokes clear of Will Zalatoris and Luke List.
After turning in 3-under 32, the Japan native made birdie on Nos. 10, 11 and 12 – including a 46-footer at the demanding par-4 12th – to move into a tie for the lead at 14 under. His defining stretch came at Nos. 15 and 16, when he striped a mid-iron from 189 yards to 8 inches at the par-4 15th, followed by a laser to 6 inches at the 169-yard, par-3 16th. After a crafty up-and-down birdie from behind the green at the par-5 17th, he faced a 47-footer for birdie at No. 18 to tie Ted Tryba’s course-record 61 (third round, 1999), but the putt peeled off to the right.
Nonetheless, Matsuyama authors another signature moment in a career that now includes nine TOUR titles, surpassing K.J. Choi (8) for most TOUR wins by an Asian-born player. It’s also his first top-10 since last year’s PLAYERS, as he continues to fight back from severe back issues that caused weekly concern for a time, he said Sunday.
Matsuyama earns 700 FedExCup points for his victory at The Genesis, a Signature Event, and moves to No. 3 on the season-long FedExCup standings. If Sunday was any indication, a banner year could be ahead.
