KAPALUA, Hawaii — Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and America’s Collin Morikawa took control of the PGA Tour season opener in Hawaii as they moved away from the field with a pair of 62s.
Matsuyama’s 11-under par third round took him to 27-under-par as he set a new 54-hole record at Kapalua to hold his one-shot lead at The Sentry.
The former Masters champion carded eight birdies as he reached 36 holes at The Sentry in with just one bogey on his card.
His 16-under-par total at Kapalua leaves him one clear of fellow major champion Morikawa, who reeled off five successive birdies from the 13th in his 65.
Maverick McNealy, who equalled the lowest round of the day with a 64, and overnight leader Tom Hoge are among those a further stroke behind, alongside Canada’s Corey Conners after a second successive 66 and Belgium’s Thomas Detry.
England’s Harry Hall birdied four of his last five holes en route to a 65 which took him into a group on 13-under-par, which also included US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark, who both carded 64s.
“I have two jobs,” Bradley said. “My one job is out here, and then my other job is to be the captain and be the leader of the US Ryder Cup team.
Collin Morikawa has played Kapalua enough to know that trailing Matsuyama by seven shots early in the second round was no reason to panic. Sure enough, he nearly caught up to the Japanese star at The Sentry.
Matsuyama played bogey-free on another gorgeous day on Maui with moderate wind, making seven birdies in a 10-hole stretch in the middle of his round and posting an 8-under 65 for a one-shot lead going into the weekend of the PGA Tour season opener.
Morikawa ran off five straight birdies in the scoring stretch late – only one of them longer than 5 feet – until his streak ended on the par-5 closing hole at the Plantation course with a 12-foot birdie putt that missed on the high side.
He also had a 65 and was expecting more of the same on the weekend. Conditions are prime for scoring, and The Sentry has the best players from the PGA Tour last year.
“When you look at the leaderboard, I’m through six holes and I’m even par and guys are lapping the field already,” Morikawa said according to AP. “But like I said, it’s not telling myself I’ve got to be patient. I just know this golf course, and I know at any point you can go on a little stretch of birdies, and I just had to keep playing my game.”
It was the eighth time Morikawa had 65 or better at Kapalua, the most of any player since 2020 when the two-time major champion made his debut.
Matsuyama went about his business, breaking into one big smile when he holed a 35-foot birdie putt across the green on the par-3 11th. He was at 16-under 130 with a pack of players lining up behind him.
“I’m definitely satisfied with where I am,” Matsuyama said.
Ten players were separated by three shots going into the weekend of the tournament that invites only PGA Tour winners from 2024 and the top 50 from the FedEx Cup.
Corey Conners of Canada and Thomas Detry of Belgium were among those at 14-under 132 thanks to big finishes of their own.
Conners holed a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th, followed with two medium-range birdie putts and two-putted from the front of the green on the 18th for another birdie and a 66. Detry was 6 under on the final six holes. He drove the green on the 306-yard 14th hole to 10 feet for eagle, and had to settle for par on the 18th for a 65.
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