Matsuyama breaks PGA Tour record with The Sentry win

AFP

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama made history with an 8-under-par 65 round at The Sentry, the PGA Tour's opener, at The Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii on Sunday, to finish 35-under par on 257 - the lowest 72-hole score in PGA Tour history.

It was good for a three-stroke victory over runner-up Collin Morikawa, who shot 67.

Matsuyama birdied the final hole, a par-5, to reach 35 under.

"That last putt, it felt like if I make it, then it's going to be the record," Matsuyama said. "So I'm so happy that it went in."

It marked Matsuyama's 11th career victory on the tour and follows two tournament titles last year.

Matsuyama holed out for eagle on the par-4 third hole with the ball bouncing a couple of times before landing in the cup as his lead grew to three strokes. The margin was four shots going to the back nine even after Matsuyama's bogey on the par-4 seventh marked just his second bogey of the tournament.

Morikawa's birdie on the 15th hole closed the gap to two shots. Matsuyama responded with a birdie on the next hole.

Matsuyama, who turns 33 next month, took the lead during Friday's second round and kept up his pace of birdies. Morikawa had matched Matsuyama's scores Friday and Saturday (65 and 62), entering the final round trailing by one shot.

Matsuyama has won three times in less than a 12-month period. This type of result was his goal for the beginning of 2025.

South Korea's Sungjae Im (65) was third at 29 under and Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas (65) placed fourth at 25 under.

Belgium's Thomas Detry (71), Sweden's Ludvig Aberg (64) and Canada's Corey Conners (67) shared fifth place at 24 under.

Even golfers turning in impressive scores like those were merely afterthoughts to Matsuyama's excellence.

All 58 golfers who finished the tournament were 3 under or better.

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