But the real top shot of the year— at least in my opinion, came in January at the Sony Open when Hideki Matsuyama took a wild swipe with his 3-wood into the setting sun, in a playoff, and hit it inside of two feet.
The shot itself wasn’t overly difficult on paper, but a 3-wood off the deck is by no means easy, and as every golfer can attest, committing to a shot dead into the sun knowing full well you’re about to experience temporary blindness takes guts.
Ryan Barath is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s senior editor for equipment. He has an extensive club-fitting and -building background with more than 20 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. Before joining the staff, he was the lead content strategist for Tour Experience Golf, in Toronto, Canada.