Hideki Matsuyama displays the champion's trophy from The Sentry on January 5, 2025, in Kapalua, Hawaii. (©Kyle Terada/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
Read the full story on SportsLook - Hideki Matsuyama Breaks PGA Tour 72-Hole Record
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.
Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
