Golf

Hideki Matsuyama Breaks PGA Tour 72-Hole Record

Veteran golfer Hideki Matsuyama carded a 35-under 257 to win The Sentry, the PGA Tour's season-opening event, in Hawaii. It was his 11th PGA Tour victory.

by
Ed Odeven
January 6, 2025

Hideki Matsuyama excelled throughout the 2025 PGA Tour's season-opening tournament, wrapping it up with a record-breaking performance on Sunday, January 5.

In Kapalua, Hawaii, Matsuyama made a birdie on the par-5 18th hole in the final round of The Sentry. That gave him an 8-under 65, and he finished the four-day event at 35-under 257. He won the tourney by three strokes.

Matsuyama's 35-under par score set a PGA Tour record for a 72-hole event. He also established the Kapalua Plantation Course record for 54 holes on Saturday, when he carded an 11-under 62 to put him at 27-under 192 entering the final round.

Cameron Smith, an Australian, held the PGA Tour's previous 72-hole scoring record with a 34-under 258, also at the Plantation Course, in 2022.

American Collin Morikawa was one stroke behind Matsuyama entering the final round. He shot a 67 on Sunday to finish as the runner-up at 32-under 260.

South Korea's Sung Jae Im was a further three strokes adrift, placing third at 29-under.

Matsuyama, who sank an 8-foot birdie on the par-5 18th to conclude his weekend of golf, earned a $3.6 million USD (roughly ¥568 million JPY) winner's check.

"That last putt, it felt like if I make it, it's going to be the (scoring) record. So I'm so happy that it went in," Matsuyama said through an interpreter.

With his weekend triumph in The Sentry, Matsuyama became the seventh golfer to win the PGA Tour's two Hawaii events. He also captured the title at the Sony Open in January 2022, beating Russell Henley in a playoff.

Hideki Matsuyama: Back on Top in 2025

The 32-year-old golfer carded back-to-back 65s in the first two rounds. He led by one stroke entering the third round.

Matsuyama, who debuted a new putter in Kapalua that he received as a Christmas present, was even better in the third round. The 2021 Masters champion had 11 birdies and no bogeys on Saturday and Morikawa, a six-time PGA Tour winner, was right behind him, trailing by the slimmest of margins.

Therefore, Matsuyama was determined to have a strong performance in the final round.

"I knew Collin was going to play good today, so I said, 'Hey, I'm going to shoot 10-under', and that's the attitude I had," Matsuyama told reporters later.

Challenging himself to shine paid off for Matsuyama. Although he didn't accomplish this final-round goal, his bigger goal was achieved ― winning the 11th PGA Tour victory of his career.

And it was Matsuyama's first title since the FedEx St Jude Championship in August 2024.

"I was able to have a great off-season and get a fresh start this week and play well this week, so it was a great way to start," he told a news conference.

Sunday's final round also confirmed that some of Matsuyama's specific adjustments worked.

"I had some good shots, but I wanted to fix some things with my driver," Matsuyama said, noting some of his weekend adjustments. "So I worked on some tee shots at the range and fixed it, and went into the tournament, the last day."

A Highlight to Remember

Matsuyama, who had only two bogeys during The Sentry's four rounds, gave the gallery plenty of reasons to applaud on the final day. This included an eagle on the par-4 third hole. He made it happen with a splendid 107-yard blast from the fairway.

The native of Ehime Prefecture later spoke about this positive omen.

"I thought, 'Oh, I hit a good one,' " Matsuyama said. He added, "I knew that it was going to be right there for a birdie, but then I heard the crowd, so I knew that it went in. Definitely happy that it did."

In 2017, Matsuyama was the runner-up in this event when it was known as the SBS Tournament of Champions.

Another Weekend in Hawaii

Hideki Matsuyama and his PGA Tour colleagues return to action in the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu from Thursday through Sunday, January 9-12.

Author: Ed Odeven

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