Staff Reporter.
Photo credit: GenesisUSA.
Hideki Matsuyama fired a bogey-free, 9-under 62 – one shy of tying the record at Riviera Country Club – to overtake the field and win the Genesis Invitational by three strokes on Sunday in Pacific Palisades, California.
The Japanese pro began the day six shots off Patrick Cantlay’s lead but zipped up the leaderboard with three-birdie runs at Nos. 1-3, 10-12 and 15-17. He entered the clubhouse at 17-under 267 for the week, and no one from the pack of remaining contenders could catch him.
Matsuyama, 31, had not won on tour since January 2022 and slipped to No 55 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The 2021 Masters remains the crowning achievement of his career, but by winning the third signature event of the season.
Will Zalatoris had his most successful week yet since returning from an extended absence after undergoing back surgery. Zalatoris at one point held sole possession of the lead at 15 under, but went 1 over for his final five holes to shoot a 69 and tie for second with Luke List (68) at 14 under.
Cantlay led after each of the first three rounds but opened his final trip around the course with nine straight pars. A drive into the bunker at the par-4 10th led to a bogey, and although he erased that with a birdie at the next hole, he faltered down the stretch with two more bogeys.
But Cantlay finished on a strong note, draining a 50-foot birdie at the last hole to salvage a 1-over 72 and finish at 13 under, tying for fourth with Xander Schauffele (70) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (65).
Six shots behind to start the final round of the Genesis Invitational, Matsuyama delivered a record performance — 9-under 62, the lowest closing round by a winner at Riviera — to achieve the record that really mattered.
He now has nine PGA Tour wins, one better than K.J. Choi of South Korea.
“Reaching nine wins was one of my big goals, passing K.J. Choi,” Matsuyama said after his three-shot victory. “After my eighth win, I’ve been struggling with my back injury. There were a lot of times where I felt I was never going to win again. I struggled reaching to top 10, but I’m really happy that I was able to win today.”
The only downer for Matsuyama was not being able to pose with Tiger Woods, the tournament host who had to withdraw on Friday with a bad case of the flu.
“To win in this tournament was one of my goals ever since I became pro,” Matsuyama said. “After Tiger became the host, that goal became a lot bigger. A little disappointed that I wasn’t able to take a picture with Tiger today.”
The win was worth $4 million from the $20 million purse and moves him to No. 20 in the world with the entire major season ahead of him. Matsuyama now has 18 wins worldwide, eight on the Japan Golf Tour and the unofficial Hero World Challenge, also hosted by Woods. At least he has a picture from that day.