Hideki Matsuyama did the unthinkable on Sunday by burning down Riviera Country Club on his way to running away with the Genesis Invitational title. In doing so, he conquered the road known as “Hogan’s Alley.”
A gorgeous statue of Ben Hogan, who won the 1948 U.S. Open at Riviera, still stands, overlooking the 18th green.
But on Sunday, Matsuyama stood out from the crowd and won by three strokes. He shot a 9-under 62 on Sunday, his lowest score of the week. It is also Lowest score in the final round According to Justin Ray of The Athletic, it was previously recorded on the Riviera.
No one could have predicted that Matsuyama would even enter the fray, let alone win easily.
Matsuyama himself did not think so.
Asked if he thought he could win Sunday, Matsuyama said, “The answer to that question is no.”
“I wasn’t happy with the way I was hitting the ball, so I thought, ‘I’m going to make a few missed shots today,’ and maybe that’s why it worked out.”
The 2021 Masters champion played well, starting the first day at 8 under, six strokes behind 54-hole leader Patrick Cantlay.
However, he started the final round with three straight birdies to put himself in contention.
He then made three consecutive birdies on the 10th, 11th, and 12th to improve his lead to 14 under par. At that point, he held a share of the lead along with four other players: Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Luke List and Will Zalatoris.
Matsuyama then took two easy pars on the 13th and 14th and headed to the par-4 15th. Zalatoris had moved up to 15 under par at that point, but no one could stop Matsuyama.
Today is different.
He hit the shot of the day on the difficult par-4 15th. Just inches from 189 yards. He made birdies, but only the third birdie allowed before the 15th on Sunday.
Many competitors stumbled on the 15th, the second hardest hole at Riviera this week. It only added to the value of his great second shot, allowing him to make easy threes and gain even more strokes down the field.
Still, Matsuyama wasn’t finished.
The second shot was a perfect shot,” Matsuyama said of the 15-year-old.I probably hit it about 5 yards to my right. [target]”
On the next hole, the beautiful par-3 16th, Matsuyama hit a shot. Tee shot up to 6 inches— was even closer than his hit on the previous hole.
With another birdie, Matsuyama suddenly took the sole lead at 16 under par.
“Yes, I hit No. 16 about 5 yards to the right of the target.” [again]” Matsuyama added. “But it turned out to be a good shot. Everything is good.”
He never looked back after these “good” shots.
in Important par 5 17th, Matsuyama avoided the bunker with his tee shot and landed it right in the middle of the fairway. From there, he drove a 3-wood onto the green and hit it up and down for birdie, his ninth of the day.
Unlike Cantlay the day before, Matsuyama took advantage of his chance on the 17th, and when his birdie putt missed on Riviera’s penultimate hole, the tournament was all but over.
Matsuyama then had no trouble at No. 18 and easily won the PGA Tour’s third marquee event of the year. This was also his ninth win in his PGA Tour career and carried a lot of historical significance.
“Achieving nine wins was one of my big goals. [South Korean] KJ Choi,” Matsuyama added.
“After the eighth victory, [at the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii], I am suffering from a lower back injury. There were many times when I thought, “I can’t win anymore.” It was a struggle to get into the top 10, but I’m really happy that I was able to win today. ”
Matsuyama had to overcome back and neck injuries to return to the winner’s circle, where a $4 million check and 700 FedEx Cup points awaited him.
But ultimately, his Sunday 62nd at Riviera will live on forever, just as Hogan’s presence has always been and always will be.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
