According to Hideki Matsuyama, only the presence of tournament host Tiger Woods at the Genesis Invitational trophy presentation could have made his win at Riviera Country Club — his ninth on the PGA Tour — any more significant.
“To win in this tournament was one of my goals ever since I became pro,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “After Tiger became the host, that goal became a lot more bigger. A little disappointed that I wasn't able to take a picture with Tiger today.”
Woods was forced to withdraw from the midway through his second round on Friday due to “influenza”. He congratulated Matsuyama on his victory from his home in Florida.
Matsuyama — who began Sunday six strokes back of Patrick Cantlay — began his near-flawless Round 4 auspiciously, with three straight birdies. Riviera's formidable back nine proved no match for the former green-jacket winner, who birded No. 11, No. 12, No. 13, No. 15, No. 16, and No. 17 to complete a sterling nine-under 62. It was the lowest final-round score for a winner in any PGA Tour event at Riviera, which has been hosting since 1926.
His ninth PGA Tour victory broke a tie with K.J. Choi of South Korea for most wins by Asian-born players.
“Reaching nine wins was one of my big goals, passing K.J. Choi,” he said.
Matsuyama's last PGA Tour victory came at the 2022 Sony Open. The 2021 Masters champ has been hampered by lingering neck and back issues since.
“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 a top-10, but I'm really happy that I was able to win today.
“Ever since that injury, I was worried every week something bad might happen. This week I had no issue. I played without any worries. That really helped.”
Matsuyama became the 17th player to win at Riviera and Augusta. The 31-year one now has missed cuts, three top-10s, and a first-place finish on his Riv CV.
“Riviera is actually a very special place for me. I know the owner, [Noboru Watanade], he's Japanese, I've known him for a very long time. So winning at Riviera was something very special for me.”
Matsuyama's scorching Sunday — he statistically topped the field across the board — fended off a formidable leaderboard that included Cantlay and a cohort of front-nine hard-chargers: Xander Schauffele, Adam Hadwin, Will Zalatoris, and Luke List.
Five players were tied at -14 when Matsuyama turned on the jets. On No. 15 and No. 15, he planted iron shots within inches of the cup. The gap never closed.
“The second shot on 15 was probably the best shot I had,” he said. “Perfect shot.”
189 yards to 8 inches
160 yards to 6 inches… 🤯 https://t.co/2dBdKSDRqe pic.twitter.com/8Xcs28U2kj
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2024
“I'm trying to think if that was the most impressive round I've ever seen in person,” said Matusyama's playing partner, J.T. Poston. “It's definitely the best I've ever seen on Tour.”
For his part, Matsuyama thought he did alright out there.
“Majority of the time when I rate my round, it's usually my ball-striking. Today was an OK round, but I chipped and put pretty well today.”
For winning the third Signature Event on the PGA Tour's 2024 calendar, Matsuyama — who entered at No. 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings — will earn $4 million and 700 FedExCup points. So that's nice, too.