Hideki Matsuyama sets new scoring record on the PGA Tour.
Thanks to four consecutive sub-65 rounds at Kapalua, Matsuyama finished The Sentry at 35 under. He broke Cameron Smith's previous record of a whopping 34 under, also set at Kapalua's Plantation Course. Smith accomplished the feat three years ago, seven months before his victory at St. Andrews.
For Matsuyama, the victory at Sentry is his 11th on the PGA Tour. He won by three strokes over Collin Morikawa, who had another incredible performance at Kapalua, finishing at 32 under par. But 2021 Masters winner Morikawa's remarkable performance was second only to Matsuyama's accomplishment. The 2021 Masters winner looked unstoppable all week, especially over the final 54 holes.
It is also noteworthy that Matsuyama recorded over 35 birdies this week. This is almost half of the holes he has played. This also set a new PGA Tour record, one better than Im Sung-jae's mark at Kapalua a year ago.
The Japanese star shot an 8-under 65 in the first two rounds, putting him in excellent position through 36 holes. He improved on that on Saturday, posting an 11-under 62 and maintaining a one-stroke lead over Morikawa heading into the final round.
However, Matsuyama did not ease off the accelerator. He holed out Sunday with an eagle-two on the par-4 third hole, moving his total to 29 under. He then had seven more birdies, the only problem being a bogey on the seventh.
By the time he reached the par-5 18th, Matsuyama was at 34 under and had a chance to break the record. He knew that too. By that time, the tournament was almost over, but the drama increased even more as we learned that history was at stake. Matsuyama, calm and collected, hit his drive right into the middle of the fairway. He hit his second shot to the right of the green and made an up-and-down shot from there for a birdie. make an 8 footer To reach the elusive 35 under mark.
“I felt like that last putt would set the record if I made it,” Matsuyama said.
“So I'm really happy that I passed.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
