Hideki Matsuyama survived a guidelines controvery and late collapse Sunday.
Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures
By means of 64 holes this week, Matsuyama was unflappable — to the purpose the place he’d constructed a five-shot lead on the FedEx St. Jude Championship as he walked off the eleventh inexperienced.
It had been per week stuffed with adversity for Matsuyama exterior the ropes, however irrespective of. Matsuyama appeared simply superb inside the ropes. That’s the place he seemed to be cruising to his second PGA Tour title of the season.
It didn’t go so easily.
As Matsuyama headed to 12, a guidelines official approached.
They talked. The NBC broadcasters had been confused.
Ultimately, PGA Tour Lead TV Guidelines and Video Analyst Mark Dusbabek got here on to elucidate that Matsuyama wasn’t going to be penalized. 5 holes earlier, on the seventh, Matsuyama had stepped on a pitch mark that was off the inexperienced. But it surely was decided, after the dialog, that it was far sufficient away from his meant line of play, so no penalty.
PGA Tour guidelines official Gary Younger advised Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis the Tour later discovered supporting video proof that the pitch mark was about three toes off his line of play.
Matsuyama additionally advised Lewis later the dialog didn’t hassle him.
“If I used to be frightened that I had accomplished one thing mistaken and was going to be penalized, that will have rattled me,” Matsuyama mentioned by his interpreter. “But it surely was actually a non-issue so it was superb.”
It didn’t look that approach.
2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship cash: Right here’s how a lot each participant made
He then pulled his tee shot on the twelfth and made bogey. No worries, he was nonetheless up 4 pictures.
He then pushed his tee shot on 13 into the bunker. No worries, he made par and was nonetheless up 4.
He then blocked his strategy at 14 into the water. No worries, he acquired up and down for bogey and was nonetheless up two.
He then blasted his strategy at 15 over the inexperienced and flubbed his pitch in need of the inexperienced and made double. No worries, he had a par-5 remaining.
He then left his third shot in need of the inexperienced and missed the putt for birdie. Massive fear. His once-five-shot lead was gone and he had two brutal par-4s at TPC Southwind left to play.
That’s when Matsuyama flipped the script. After lastly discovering the inexperienced in regulation on 17, Matsuyama buried a birdie putt from 26 toes to take the lead by one over Xander Schuaffele and Viktor Hovland, who had a birdie putt from 9 toes on the 18th. However Hovland missed and Matsuyama stuffed his strategy at Southwind’s hardest gap to 6 toes, making the putt to safe a two-shot victory at 16 below within the first FedEx Cup Playoff occasion of the season.
His even-par 70 within the remaining spherical doesn’t start to inform the complete story.
It’s Matusyama’s second win of the season after he gained for the primary time in two years on the Genesis Invitational earlier in February.
Hideki Matsuyama dishes on theft, emergency caddie, low rating
Matsuyama’s week was thrown into chaos earlier than it even started when he, his caddie, Shota Hayafuji, and coach, Mikhito Kuromiya had been all robbed on the London Airport whereas touring from the Olympics. Hayafuji and Kuromiya each had their passports taken, which meant they’d to return to Japan.
Whereas Dan Hicks reported Hayafuji could be again in time for subsequent week’s BMW Championship, he needed to miss this week.
Nevertheless, Matsuyama dominated all week with fill-in caddie Taiga Tabuchi and a brand-new putter. The 2021 Masters winner entered the week 133rd on the Tour in strokes gained: placing, however led the sphere within the class for the week, regardless of considering a putter change on Sunday.
His last-minute restoration and Hovland’s late miss prevented Hovland from profitable his third-straight playoff occasion after profitable each the BMW and Tour Championship in 2023 on his strategy to the FedEx Cup title.
However Hovland is in a really completely different place than he was a 12 months in the past as he entered this week exterior the highest 50 within the FedEx Cup standings. His co-runner-up end practically assures him an opportunity to defend each his BMW and Tour Championship titles regardless of the down 12 months.
He completed tied with Xander Schauffele, who shot 63 within the remaining spherical to vault up the leaderboard and end one forward of Scottie Scheffler, the person he’s locked with in an more and more tight race for Participant of the Yr.
