Matsuyama rallies to win Hero Problem in playoff

NASSAU, Bahamas — Hideki Matsuyama ended his season the way in which he began it, successful the Hero World Problem on Sunday when he closed with an 8-under 64 after which hit 9-iron to 2 ft for birdie on the primary playoff gap to defeat Alex Noren.

Matsuyama, who started the yr by setting a PGA Tour report to par by successful at Kapalua, holed out from 116 yards within the tenth fairway for eagle that allowed him to catch Sepp Straka, transfer previous Scottie Scheffler and seize management at Albany Golf Membership.

Noren, unable to start out his yr till Could due to a hamstring damage, charged alongside the again 9 and caught Matsuyama with an 18-foot birdie putt on the ultimate gap for a 64 to affix him at 22-under 266 and pressure a playoff.

The time beyond regulation did not final lengthy. Matsuyama, recognized for taking one hand off the membership even when the photographs work out high-quality, this time twirled the 9-iron in his hand as he watched it take intention on the flag and plop down a number of ft away. Noren’s 20-foot birdie try slid by on the left.

“It was an ideal distance for me,” Matsuyama mentioned. “Early on the second shot (in regulation), I missed a little bit to the proper. I used to be going proper at it and was capable of hit an ideal shot.”

He received the vacation occasion hosted by Tiger Woods for the second time, successful in 2016.

Straka, the 54-hole chief by one shot over Scheffler, birdied the ultimate gap for a 68 to complete alone in third. Scheffler had a gradual begin and a two-hole stretch early on the again 9 that ruined his bid for a 3rd straight victory at Albany Golf Membership. He shot 68 and tied for fourth with U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun (65).

Matsuyama went out in 31 and immediately was tied with Straka when he holed out for eagle.

However the match took form behind him on the par-5 eleventh.

Scheffler, two photographs out of the lead, selected to hit driver off the golf green from 291 yards away with a speck of mud on the entrance of his ball. It went left beneath a small bush. He hacked that out to a sandy space, then hit his fourth shot over the inexperienced to again portion of a bunker. Solely an outstanding bunker shot allowed him to flee with bogey.

However then he discovered a bunker on the par-3 twelfth that led to bogey, and was 5 photographs behind Matsuyama when the Japanese star holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the thirteenth gap.

Scheffler ended his season by not ending worse than a tie for eighth in his final 16 occasions relationship to the Houston Open the final week in March.

“It is good to come back down right here, form of gauge the place I am at,” Scheffler mentioned. “I positively felt like among the stuff I have been engaged on the previous couple of weeks, I noticed some progress right here, and the stuff I used to be centered on within the offseason, positively noticed some progress right here as properly. Good place to be.”

Matsuyama now has 21 wins worldwide, and he wore his custom yellow shirt for the ultimate spherical when he began three photographs off the lead. He did not capitalize on each par 5s on the again 9, however his bogey-free spherical and an excellent 9-iron within the playoff was sufficient for his third time obtained a trophy from Woods. He additionally received the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in 2024, hosted by Woods.

“Tiger informed me to shoot 10 beneath at the moment,” Matsuyama mentioned. “I did not shoot 10 beneath, however I am very completely happy to win this week.”