Hideki Matsuyama carded the lowest-ever 72-hole score in the history of the PGA Tour on Sunday, shooting an astonishing 35-under to win The Sentry in Kapalua, Hawaii.
Matsuyama’s record total eclipsed Cameron Smith’s 34-under at the same event in 2022 as the Japanese star finished three shots ahead of American Collin Morikawa to claim the 11th title of his career.
He shot a birdie on the final hole of the tournament at The Plantation Course to seal the record, ending the day with an eight-under 65.
“I thought (the record) maybe was 34 or 35, I wasn’t sure, but I kind of thought: ‘If I’m thinking like that, it probably won’t go in,’” Matsuyama told reporters via an interpreter when asked about the final hole. “But it did go in and I’m glad it did.”
With the closing putt, the 2021 Masters champion also set the PGA Tour record for the most holes at birdie or better, his 35th of the tournament. The victory, his third in the last 10 months, earned him $3.6 million in prize money.
For second-placed Morikawa, who trailed Matsuyama by a shot heading into the final round, his total of 32-under somehow wasn’t enough for the title as calm, windless conditions contributed to low scores across the board.
The world No. 4 carded 67 on Sunday, though he may come to regret a front nine that included two birdies and only his second bogey of the tournament on the sixth. Matsuyama, meanwhile, held his nerve with four birdies on the back nine to stay out in front.
“He was matching me yesterday shot for shot and I felt like I was playing lights out,” said Morikawa, who carded an 11-under 62 on Saturday. “Yes, you could leave some shots out there, but you shoot 11-under on any golf course and you’re going to be happy.
He added: “I just knew I had to be on top of everything and I just kind of let a few slip on that front nine. I played a good back nine, but to win on a course like this, conditions like this, you’ve got to have it for 72 (holes) and I had it for 65.”
South Korean Im Sung-jae, who shot a then-joint-record 34 birdies or better on this course last year, was third on 29-under, four shots ahead of Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas in fourth.
Further down the leaderboard, Australia’s Cam Davis and American Will Zalatoris fell foul of a mix-up on the final round, accidentally hitting each other’s balls on the 15th hole.
They later went back and played their shots from the correct location, but both players were subsequently handed a two-shot penalty, meaning Davis eventually finished tied for 13th and Zalatoris tied for 26th.
It proved a costly error. Without the two-shot penalty, Davis would have finished tied for fifth and taken home an extra $306,625 in prize money, according to Reuters. Zalatoris, meanwhile, would have been tied for 15th and earned almost $120,000 extra.