Hideki Matsuyama destroyed the field on the final day at Riviera Country Club to claim Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour.
Matsuyama played like a man possessed and simply tore apart Riviera Country Club on Sunday.
The Japanese golfer, who won the Masters in 2021, carded a final round of 9-under 62 to reach a total of 17-under par.
Matsuyama raced out of the blocks and put circles on his scorecard on the first, second and third holes.
After turning in 3-under 32 he made three more consecutive birdies from the 10th. More birdies followed at 15, 16 and 17.
His approach from 189 yards on the 15th left him with an 8-inch birdie putt. At the next hole, from 160 yards, he left himself six inches for birdie.
Some fans believed that his golf ball shifted as he prepared to take his third shot on the second-to-last hole of the round, causing debate among spectators.
Matsuyama secured his ninth victory on the PGA Tour, marking his first win since winning the Sony Open in 2022. He received the grand prize of $4m.
“Tiger Woods was acting as the host of the tournament, but the 15-time major champion had to withdraw before the beginning of the second round due to illness.” At the start of the day, Patrick Cantlay was in the lead by two strokes, however, he faced difficulty in building momentum. “Cantlay and his golfing companion Xander Schauffele were criticized for their slow pace on the course.
Despite this, both individuals ultimately secured positions within the top ten rankings.” Will Zalatoris, aged 69, was momentarily in the running, but a late bogey on the 15th hole put a stop to his progress.
Final leaderboard:
H. Matsuyama -17
W. Zalatoris, L. List -14
A. Hadwin, P. Cantlay, X. Schauffele -13
T. Hoge -11
J. Day -9
T. Fleetwood, S. Burns, S. Scheffler, E. Cole, A. Svensson, J.T. Poston -8