KAPALUA, Hawaii — Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama couldn’t be caught while shooting a final-round 8-under-par 65 to win The Sentry, the PGA Tour’s season opener in Kapalua, Hawaii.
Matsuyama finished at 35-under 257, the lowest 72-hole score to par in PGA Tour history. It was good for a three-stroke victory on runner-up Collin Morikawa, who shot 67.
It marked Matsuyama’s 11th career victory on the tour and follows two tournament titles last year, Reuters reported.
Matsuyama holed out for eagle on the par-4 third hole with the ball bouncing a couple of times before landing in the cup as his lead grew to three strokes.
The margin was four shots going to the back nine even after Matsuyama’s bogey on the par-4 seventh marked just his second bogey of the tournament.
Morikawa’s birdie on the 15th hole closed the gap to two shots. Matsuyama responded with a birdie on the next hole.
Matsuyama, who turns 33 next month, took the lead during second round and kept up his pace of birdies. Morikawa had matched Matsuyama’s scores entering the final round trailing by one shot.
South Korea’s Sungjae Im (65) was third at 29 under and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas (65) placed fourth at 25 under.
Belgium’s Thomas Detry (71), Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (64) and Canada’s Corey Conners (67) shared fifth place at 24 under.
Canada’s Taylor Pendrith recorded the first albatross in the 27-year history of the tournament, helping him to a 67 for the second day in a row.
There was little luck at the Plantation course in Kapalua that was vulnerable as ever without hardly any wind for which it was built. Matsuyama made only one bogey over the final 59 holes to finish at 35-under 257.
Staked to a one-shot lead going into the final round, Matsuyama holed out from 107 yards for eagle on the third hole, expanded the lead when Morikawa had consecutive three-putts – one for par, another for bogey – and answered a late challenge with another wedge to 4 feet.
The 32-year-old Japanese star had only a few days of practice leading into the season opener because he was not feeling well, most recently with sores in his mouth. He decided on a whim to switch to a more center-shafted putter he received a few days after Christmas.
“I used the putter for the first here,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter. Asked why that style of putter worked so well for him, he added, “I’m not sure, but it went in.”
The last one was for the record book. Matsuyama wasn’t entirely sure that 34 under had been the record for 72 holes. The tournament already was in the bag.
“That last putt, it felt like if I make it, then it´s going to be the record,” Matsuyama added according to AP. “So I´m so happy that it went in.”
He extended his arm and lightly pumped his first when it fell. His 35 under broke by one the record to par Cameron Smith set at Kapalua in 2022.
It also was his 35th hole of birdie or better, breaking the record set by Smith in 2022 and matched by Sungjae Im at Kapalua last year.
“He was matching me shot-for-shot,” said Morikawa, alluding to both posting a 62 in the third round that set them apart from the field.
“Today he just never let up,” Morikawa said. “Then you get to the third hole and the guy holes it. I just knew I had to be on top of everything, and just kind of let a few slip on that front nine. Played a good back nine, but to win on a course like this, conditions like this, you’ve got to have it for 72 (holes). And I had it for 65.”
Morikawa closed with a 67 to finish three behind at 32-under 260.
Matsuyama has three PGA Tour victories in the last 10 months, all of them against strong fields – Riviera last February, the first FedEx Cup playoff event in August. He moves to No. 5 in the world ranking.
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