There is no doubt what Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama has been able to achieve on the golf course over the last year has been impressive. A year ago he became the first Japanese player to win the Masters, and in October, won the Zozo Championship in Tokyo by a commanding five strokes over Americans Brendan Steele and Cameron Tringale.
However what Matsuyama was able to accomplish on Sunday was so impressive, it was downright remarkable on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Matsuyama made up five shots on American Russell Henry on the back nine, and then beat Henley with an eagle in a playoff.
Matsuyama and Henley both had scores of -23. Matsuyama posted a score of four-under-par 66 in round one, five-under-par 65 in round two, and then back-to-back rounds of seven-under-par 63 in rounds three and four. Despite shooting a score of -23 in the first 72 holes of competition, he did not have an eagle until the 73rd hole on Sunday.
Matsuyama became the second Japanese golfer to win the Sony Open. He follows Isao Aoki, who posted a score of -20 to beat Jack Renner by a stroke in 1983.
This was also Matsuyama’s eighth career win on the PGA Tour. Of the eight, four have come in a playoff. His other three playoff wins came at the 2014 Memorial Tournament, where he beat American Kevin Na on the first playoff hole with a par, the 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he beat American Rickie Fowler with a par on the fourth extra hole, and the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he beat American Webb Simpson, the winner of the 2012 U.S. Open, with a birdie on the fourth extra hole.
