Matsuyama Wins Both His Opening & Now Closing Event Of His Year At Woods Hosted Hero World Challenge

2 hours ago by 0

Hideki Matsuyama has superbly ended his season with a 21st career success and some 11 months after it had begun with his 20th tournament victory.

Matsuyama, 33, had captured his first event of 2025 at January’s The Sentry and now 25 tournaments later the Japanese golfer has succeeded in securing a second success in his final event of the year at the Hero World Challenge.

Matsuyama again wearing bright yellow favourite last day shirt brilliantly put himself in contention for a second Hero World Challenge success when he holed his 116-yard second shot for an eagle ‘2’ at the par-4 1oth hole to tie Austrian Sepp Straka for the lead.

Matsuyama was playing in the penultimate group ahead of Straka but could only manage to par the par-5 12th hole ahead of Straka taking bogey and then when Matsuyama birdied 13 he was now two shots clear of the field at 22-under.

However the ‘W’ was still not in reach for the Japanese star with his playing partner, Sweden’s Alex Noren also on the charge birdieing three of his closing four holes and with Noren just finding the side door with his long birdie putt at the 18th in round of 64 for he and Matsuyama to end tied at 22-under.

The players headed back to the 18th and with the odds seemingly in Noren’s favour having just a few minutes earlier holed an 18-footer birdie we mentioned in the prior par.

No it was not be as it was Matsuyama and not having parred the last at all over for all four days, superbly landed his second shot to around four-feet and hole the birdie putt to win a seventh play-off in his career now boasting 21 worldwide victories.

Straka also signed for a 64 to be third at 21-under and with Scottie Scheffler posting a 68 to share fourth at 20-under with JJ Span signing for a 65.

In the process of Matsuyama winning not only denied Soren success but he’s also spoit Scheffler’s efforts to the win the event for a third occasion in succession.

As well, Scheffler was denied a seventh success this season and thus falling shy of last year’s career-best effort of seven wins in season 2024.

However, there’s no denying Scheffler’s efforts on the Albany host course having been runner-up in 2011 and ’22 and then victorious in 2023 and ’24.

Earlier in the day there was the great sight on the first tee of tournament host Tiger Woods accompaning Hero’s Dr. Pawan Munjal to wish all 20 players well including top-ranked Scot Robert MacIntyre, and among a handful of first timers in the field.

MacIntyre bounced back from an indifferent first round to enjoy the momentary clubhouse closing day lead in posting a 68 for an 11-under tally as the leaders headed to their last five or six holes.

The effort ended a superb season for game’s top lefty as @TOURMISS reveals hereunder.

 

 

 



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