Matsuyama storms back for landmark win
Walking to the 10th tee, a dejected Hideki Matsuyama was five shots behind pace-setting Russell Henley with nine holes to play in Sunday’s final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
The reigning Masters champion had just failed to birdie the ninth hole, the easiest on the course at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, and Henley was blazing after going birdie-birdie-birdieeagle to turn in 29 to jump to a huge advantage.
No chance for Matsuyama, right? Wrong.
Matsuyama stormed back with a 31 on the back nine to force a playoff as the two played in the final group and then defeated Henley on the first extra hole when he rifled a 3-wood from 276 yards to just 2 feet on the par-5 18th and made the eagle putt for his third title in his last 17 PGA Tour starts.
“It was a perfect number for me for a cut 3-wood, 276 yards left to right, follow wind,” Matsuyama said. “I knew the green was soft enough to hold it, and I was able to pull it off.”
Matsuyama started his comeback with a 7-footer for birdie on the 10th and a 12-footer for birdie on the 11th to cut the deficit to two after Henley made bogey on the 11th. It was down to one after an 18-foot birdie on the 15th and Matsuyama evened things up with a two-putt birdie from 54 feet on the 72nd hole.
Henley’s chance to win in regulation came from 10 feet on the 18th but the ball grazed the hole and didn’t drop.
With his eighth PGA Tour title – he also has eight wins on the Japan Golf Tour – Matsuyama tied K.J. Choi for most PGA Tour wins by an Asian-born player.
And Matsuyama, who has won two World Golf Championships title and the Memorial, is just 29.
The players ended 72 holes at 23 under, with Matsuyama posting 66-65-6363 on the par-70 layout and Henley 6263-67-65.
Matsuyama has now shot 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s on the PGA Tour, the longest current streak. And the last four of those scores came on the strength of his putting as he led the field in strokes gained: putting this week while Henley finished second.
Coupled with his win in Japan in the Zozo Championship last fall, Matsuyama is the first multiple winner of the 2021-22 wraparound season.
The win was special for Matsuyama as he noted Isao Aoki becoming the first Japanese-born player to win on the PGA Tour when he captured the 1983 Sony Open.
And he won $1.35 million. “Russell was playing so beautifully on the front nine, but at the turn I was thinking, ‘He can’t keep this up, can he?’ ” Matsuyama said. “I was five back, but I just put my head down and I was playing pretty well; I was 3 under at the time, so I figured, well, if I could make a few more birdies maybe I can get back into it.
“I was able to birdie 10 and then a two-shot swing at 11 and then the game was on again. Even at the turn when I was five back I could hear the cheers from my countrymen. That really spurred me on.”
Henley looked invincible after hitting every fairway in regulation on the front nine and making birdie putts from 7, 2, 8 and 3 feet and an eagle from 3 feet before the turn.
But he didn’t make a birdie on the back nine.
Now there might be a few more restless nights for Henley, who after taking the 54-hole lead, admitted he has had trouble sleeping on the lead. Henley, who won the 2013 Sony Open after leading after three rounds in his first start as a professional on the PGA Tour, is now 1-for-6 when holding the 54-hole lead/ co-lead, which includes last year’s U.S. Open. Three of those have been since 2020.
“I’m really still scratching my head on how I missed that,” Henley said of the 10-footer on the 72nd hole. “It was really close to going in. I was close to getting a win. So tough to swallow, but Hideki played great all day and happy for him.
“I knew I had to continue to play well and make birdies, which I didn’t do. I knew I had to keep hitting fairways, good iron shots, and I failed to do that. I hung in there with some good par saves but got to keep making birdies out here if you want to win.
“I don’t know how long it will take to get over it. I definitely take confidence from the tournament, but it really stings to not come away with the win. That’s just part of it. I played some great golf. I feel like I was in it the entire time mentally this time. I didn’t have too many mental lapses like I have other tournaments where I’ve been close to the lead in the last couple years.
“Just got to keep chugging.” With little wind and plenty of sunshine, it was an ideal scoring week.
Kevin Kisner stormed home with a 64 and Seamus Power a 65 as the two finished in a tie for third at 19 under.
Michael Thompson closed with a 63 to finish at 18 under, joined there by Lucas Glover (65). Keith Mitchell closed with a 63, Russell Knox a 65, Matt Kuchar a 67 and Adam Svensson a 67 as all finished at 17 under.
As for Matsuyama, he’s going on vacation. He said his life has changed since he became the first player from Japan to win the Masters. In a golf-starved country, Matsuyama shouldered the burden of expectation for so many years.
“(My life) has because the pressure of not winning a major has been gone,” he said. “I’ll have my share of sake tonight and we’ll see you all in San Diego at Torrey Pines.”
When asked when he’ll start his vacation, he needed just one word to answer.
“Tonight.”