Nassau, Bahamas – Cideki Matsuyama ended his season the way he started, winning the Hero World Challenge on Sunday when he birdied the first playoff hole.
Matsuyama, who started the year by setting the PGA tour record by winning at Kapalua, shot from 116 to Scyffler allowing him to capture Straka, move Scottie Scheffler and take control at Albany Golf Club.
With Noren, he can’t start his year until it’s possible due to a good injury, he was put on his back and got matsuyama with 18 birds to join him on the last hole to join him in 22 – less than 266 and force a playoff.
Overtime doesn’t last long. Matsuyama, who is known for taking one side of the club even when the shot is working well, this time his 9-iron opened when he looked down when he took a few meters. A 20-foot birdie attempt slides left.
“It wasn’t completely far from me,” Matsuyama said. “At the start of the second shot (in regulation), I missed a little on the right side. I was going for it and I was able to hit a big shot.”
He won the holiday event hosted by Tiger Woods for the second time, winning in 2016.
Straka, the 54-hole leader by one shot over Scheffler, carded a final-hole 68 to finish alone in third place. Scheffler got off to a slow start and a bogey on the back nine ruined his bid for a third straight victory at Albany Golf Club. He shot a 68 and is tied for fourth with fellow US Open Champion Spaun (65).
Matsuyama was out for 31 and was suddenly tied by Straka when he flushed an eagle.
But the tournament caught up with him at the Par-5 11th 11th.
Scheffler, two shots off the lead, chose to hit the fairway from 291 feet away from the patch of mud in front of his ball. It was left under a small tree. He got that out of the sand, then hit his fourth drive over the green into the half bunker. Only a superb high shot allowed him to escape with a bogey.
But then he found a bunker on the par-3 12th that led to a bogey, and it was five shots behind Matsuyama when the Japanese star birdied a 30-putt on the 13th hole.
Scheffler ended his season with no finish worse than a tie for eighth in his last 16 events dating back to Houston that opened last week in March.
“It’s good to come down here, kind of gauge where I’m at,” Scheffler said. “I definitely felt like some of the things I’ve been working on the last few weeks, I’ve seen some improvement here, and the things I focused on in the offseason, have definitely improved here.”
Matsuyama now has 21 wins in the world, and wore his traditional yellow jersey for the final round when he started to shoot three. He failed to capitalize on both 5s on the back nine, but his bogey-free round and brilliant 9-iron in the playoff was enough for his third to earn a medal from the woods. He also won the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera in 2024, hosted by Woods.
“Tiger told me to shoot 10 under today,” Matsuyama said. “I didn’t shoot 10 under, but I’m very happy to win this week.”
