Memphis, United States: Hideki Matsuyama became the first Asian golfer to win a FedEx Cup Play-offs event with a hard-fought two-stroke victory over Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland at the FedEx St Jude Championship.
The 32-year-old Japanese surged to his second title of the season and 10th PGA Tour career victory, thanks to two closing birdies at TPC Southwind as he overcame a back nine wobble which saw a five-shot overnight lead turn into a one-shot deficit after dropping four strokes through holes 12-15.
With a new putter in hand, he rolled in a 26-foot birdie putt on the 17th green to restore his lead and then knocked his approach to six feet to set up a final-hole birdie and cement his stature as the Asian player with the most number of wins on the PGA Tour.
“I’m especially happy to be able to win one of the FedEx Cup Play-off series tournaments. I’ve tried hard for 10 years, and it’s a great feeling of satisfaction to finally be able to have done it,” said Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
The triumph moved Matsuyama up to third place in the FedEx Cup points list with the BMW Championship and Tour Championship to play over the next fortnight. He is seeking to rewrite more golf history as no Asian golfer has won the Tour’s season-long prize, the FedEx Cup, since its inception in 2007.
A bronze medallist at the Paris Olympics a fortnight ago, Matsuyama credited a new putter in the bag, and stand-in caddie, Taiga Tabuchi, for his stellar week in Memphis.
His regular caddie Shota Hayafuji and coach Mikihito Kuromiya were forced to return to Japan to sort out their travel documents after losing their passports during a stopover in London following the Olympics. Hayafuji will be back on Matsuyama’s bag at the BMW Championship.
“Coming into Memphis, I felt like I needed a change of pace, kind of a refresh with my putter. I thought about the putters I had because I knew this course and knew the condition of the greens. I thought this putter might work, and it did. I putted great, and I won,” said Matsuyama, who ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting through four rounds – a stark contrast to his 133rd ranking before the week started.
“First time I’ve worked with him (Tabuchi). On the course, you have a routine, but with a new caddie, that routine changes. We were working through that all week. But he was a great help to me. Helped me read a lot of putts. A lot of good lines that he gave me.”
With American Schauffele, who has won two Majors this season, charging up the leaderboard with a closing 63, and reigning FedEx Cup champion Hovland of Norway making his move before a bogey on 17 saw him sign for a 66, Matsuyama made life difficult for himself down the stretch.
He three-putted on 12 for his first bogey of the day, found water with his tee shot into the par-three 14th and then made a double-bogey on 15 with some errors.
“After the 14th hole, I was still two-up, but I knew Viktor and Xander were playing 15, 16 ahead of me. Fifteen was not good. I flared my tee shot to the right and I didn’t want to hit it in the water, so I ended up hitting it over the green, taking two chips and ended with a double-bogey. But I had three holes left, and so I felt like I still had a chance,” he said.
Korean An Byeong-hun (69) finished tied 33th to advance into the BMW Championship, limited to the top-50, in 15th position on the FedEx Cup points list and will be joined by compatriots Im Sung-jae, who finished tied 40th for 10th position on the points list, and Kim Si-woo who ended his week in joint 50th and will start the penultimate Play-offs event in 44th place.
Tom Kim closed with a 71 for a share of 50th place in Memphis and agonisingly missed out on making it into the BMW Championship by one rung in 51st position.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who has won six times this season and was the gold medallist in Paris, finished fourth, three behind Matsuyama. He remains top of the FedEx Cup points list, with Schauffele in second position.
