The post 2 awkward moments capped Hideki Matsuyama’s WM Phoenix Open collapse appeared first on Golf.

The post 2 awkward moments capped Hideki Matsuyama’s WM Phoenix Open collapse appeared first on Golf.

When Hideki Matsuyama walked off the 15th green at TPC Scottsdale on Sunday, his path to a win was clear.

The 2021 Masters champion needed to par the final three holes on the Stadium Course to avoid a playoff with Chris Gotterup and take home his third WM Phoenix Open title. That Matsuyama found himself in that position was no small feat, given how he struggled off the tee in the final round. He hit just two fairways but still found a way to keep a clean card as he arrived at the 18th hole still nursing a one-shot lead over Gotterup.

Matsuyama had been fighting to keep things from unraveling all afternoon in Scottsdale, but they finally came undone on the final hole. It was a collapse that Matsuyama built the foundation for with his shaky play and that bad luck cemented.

First, he pulled his tee shot left into the church pew bunkers but got a favorable kick back into the center of the bunker. On-course reporter Dottie Pepper said Matsuyama should have no problem navigating the lip of the trap and getting his approach near or on the green. But Matsuyama’s second came out low and clipped the lip of the bunker, causing the ball to come up 43 yards short of the green.

A shaky chip to a firm green left him 23 feet for par and the win.

That’s when events beyond Matsuyama’s control began to accelerate his crash.

Matsuyama sized up the lengthy but makable par putt. Just as he was preparing to take his putter back, a member of the gallery yelled, causing him to back off and restart his process. The par putt slid by the hole and Matsuyama marched toward a sudden-death playoff.

“Was grinding all weekend. Didn’t have my best stuff, but hung in there,” Matsuyama said through a translator afterward. “I wanted to avoid the playoff as much as I could, but I just hit a bad tee shot there in regulation at 18.”

Matsuyama went back to the 18th tee box, and things continued to spiral.

After Gotterup put his drive in the fairway, Matsuyama readied to answer. But in the middle of his downswing, a loud noise pierced the desert air. Matsuyama ground his swing to a halt, looked at the crowd and had to once again regroup. When he finally unleashed his driver, it sailed left toward the church pew bunkers again. The drive barely cleared the water, but the ball hit a pole that was holding a gallery rope, causing it to ricochet back into the pond. Ten minutes later, Gotterup poured in a birdie putt to secure his second win of the 2026 season.

The noise that completed Matsuyama’s disintegration? An accidental chair drop by a member of the event staff, according to The Athletic‘s Gabby Herzig.

“It’s a good thing that there’s so many people,” Gotterup said of the hyped-up TPC Scottsdale crowd after he secured the playoff win over Matsuyama. “You hear it, but it’s all — you have so much going through your brain, it’s almost like white noise. Obviously, I think on the tee box, a chair fell. Of course, that happens in the playoff.”

A dropped chair might have put the final nail in Hideki Matsuyama’s WM Phoenix Open coffin, but he laid the groundwork for the collapse long before it hit the cement in Phoenix.

For the week, Matsuyama ranked 70th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. He was T68 in driving accuracy, hitting just 44 percent of his fairways. But he was second in approach and third in putting. He Houdini-ed his way out of jam after jam that he created with an uncooperative off-the-tee game. For 71 holes, Matsuyama’s irons and putter were enough to patch over a glaring weakness.

But the bill finally came due on the 72nd hole, when his magic act was unable to conjure one final escape, setting the stage for an unintentional dropped chair to seal his fate.

“It’s disappointing,” Matsuyama said via translator after the loss. “Shock. Learn from it, and just get back up on the horse next week.”

As Hideki Matsuyama digested an unlikely collapse, Gotterup’s emotions came pouring out after a win that raised him to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

“There’s just so many people that believe in me, and to be able to share it with them,” Gotterup said, fighting back tears. “I won’t be able to get through it. It’s just so much fun.”

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The post Chris Gotterup storms back for epic WM Phoenix Open victory appeared first on Golf.

The post Chris Gotterup storms back for epic WM Phoenix Open victory appeared first on Golf.

Chris Gotterup is your 2026 WM Phoenix Open champion — and he earned it in unforgettable fashion.

Standing on the 13th tee, Gotterup’s chances of victory looked all but gone. After bogeying the par-3 12th, his 11-under total left him five shots off the lead. A solid top-10 finish (and a healthy paycheck) seemed likely. Taking home hardware did not.

That assumption didn’t last long.

Over the final six holes, Gotterup caught fire, carding five birdies to surge into the clubhouse lead at 16 under. The run included a clutch wedge shot from the gallery on the 18th hole that finished inside five feet, putting the finishing touches on his final-round 64.

“I knew I’d need to make birdie on 18,” Gotterup said. “But you never know.”

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Even then, his fate wasn’t fully in his hands. Hideki Matsuyama, the 54-hole leader, still sat one stroke clear, leaving Gotterup to wait on the driving range and hope for a mistake.

That blunder came on the final hole.

Needing only a par to claim his third victory at TPC Scottsdale, Matsuyama hooked his tee shot on 18 into the church pew bunkers left of the fairway. His approach clipped the bunker’s lip and squirted into the intermediate rough more than 40 yards short of the green. When Matsuyama failed to get up and down, the two headed back to the 18th tee for a playoff.

The playoff hole unfolded eerily similar to regulation. Gotterup once again blasted his drive into wedge range, while Matsuyama again missed left, this time finding the water. Moments later, Gotterup poured his birdie putt into the center of the cup to seal the win.

“I’m just having such a good time playing right now,” Gotterup said, choking back tears. “I know everyone at home is watching, and it’s just so awesome.”

With the victory, Gotterup earns $1.7 million, moves to the top of the FedEx Cup standings and becomes the first player to win multiple events during the 2026 season, following his victory at The Sony just three weeks ago.

“There are just so many people who believe in me,” he said. “It’s so much fun.”

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The post ‘I was shocked’: Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour return appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘I was shocked’: Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour return appeared first on Golf.

PGA Tour veteran Hideki Matsuyama got his season off to a strong start at the Sony Open. But at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open, the 2021 Masters champion will have a formidable new opponent to contend with: Brooks Koepka.

While Matsuyama doesn’t have any problems with Koepka personally, he does have a problem with the PGA Tour for allowing Koepka to return from LIV Golf, at least in the manner in which he did.

Matsuyama shared his criticism of Koepka’s speedy Tour return in a new interview with Golf Digest Japan.

Hideki Matsuyama questions PGA Tour over Koepka comeback

Koepka was permitted to return to the PGA Tour via the newly-created Returning Member Program. The program has specific rules allowing an accelerated PGA Tour return for specific high-profile LIV golfers.

Only Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith fit those criteria. With the window to take the deal closing on February 2, Koepka is the only one who has accepted it (though Patrick Reed’s LIV departure could inspire others to follow Koepka’s lead).

Even Koepka admitted he was surprised by how quickly everything came together after he split with LIV in late December. Typically, former PGA Tour players who joined LIV would have to serve a one-year suspension when reapplying to the Tour.

That’s why the Koepka news came as a surprise to Matsuyama, as he revealed in his interview with Golf Digest Japan.

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“I was shocked when I heard about it in the news… I thought, ‘Oh, he’s coming back…’ I guess they took that measure because he had achieved results at LIV,” Matsuyama said in translated comments.

Matsuyama displayed no animosity toward Koepka, saying of his LIV exit, “I think it’s pretty amazing that Brooks had the courage to make that decision.”

However, Matsuyama also revealed that he was “puzzled” by the situation, especially the lack of communication from the PGA Tour about the Returning Member Program.

“But I’m puzzled that the PGA Tour didn’t explain anything to the players. At the very least, I didn’t know that such a rule was in place,” he said.

He then explained his confusion about why Koepka was allowed to circumvent the one-year ban for playing on LIV Golf.

“While there has been a financial hit, what about the non-monetary aspects? What happened to the rule that players who participated in LIV were not allowed to compete [on the PGA Tour] for a year?” Matsuyama said. “That’s what I’m thinking about more.”

The issue is somewhat personal for Matsuyama, who turned down a lucrative offer from LIV Golf in 2022, in part because of the consequences it would have on his PGA Tour future. Wyndham Clark, who also turned down a LIV Golf offer, made a similar criticism of Koepka’s return last week.

He continued his criticism of the PGA Tour, saying, “We are the players, after all. The PGA Tour makes the decisions. It doesn’t matter what anyone says.”

Patrick Reed LIV exit differs from Koepka’s PGA Tour path

Matsuyama’s comments to Golf Digest Japan came before news broke about another monumental shift in the PGA Tour-LIV Golf battle. On Wednesday, Patrick Reed announced he would leave LIV Golf as well.

While Matsuyama has yet to speak on Reed’s potential Tour return, Reed’s path back to the PGA Tour might be more agreeable to the Masters champ.

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Reed will be allowed to start playing in PGA Tour events in August of this year, one year after his last LIV start at LIV Golf Indianapolis in August 2025. He will be eligible to earn full status for the 2027 PGA Tour season.

That means by August the 2018 Masters champion can accept sponsor’s exemptions to play in PGA Tour events for the remainder of the season, or compete as a past champion.

Reed also plans to play the DP World Tour this year. If he finishes in the top 10 in the season-long Race to Dubai standings, he’ll earn a full PGA Tour card for 2027. His big win at the Dubai Desert Classic last week will go a long way in achieveing that goal.

He is also already qualified for all four major championships in 2026 thanks to his third-place finish at the Masters last year.

3 more LIV Golf pros reinstated to PGA Tour

Later on Wednesday, the PGA Tour announced that three other former LIV Golf players had been reinstated to the PGA Tour. Those players are Kevin Na, Pat Perez and Hudson Swafford.

The conditions of their PGA Tour returns are not all the same, but they follow Reed’s more closely than Koepka’s.

All three players have “outstanding disciplinary violations” to address following their reinstatements.

Swafford and Perez, both three-time PGA Tour winners, will serve a one-year suspension and then be permitted to play in PGA Tour-sanctioned events starting January 1, 2027. Perez, who turns 50 years old in March, has eyes on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.

As for Na, it’s not clear when he will get the green light to play in Tour events again. According to the PGA Tour, he’s currently facing disciplinary action.

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The post Hideki Matsuyama’s clubs: Inside his Hero World Challenge-winning setup appeared first on Golf.

The post Hideki Matsuyama’s clubs: Inside his Hero World Challenge-winning setup appeared first on Golf.

Hideki Matsuyama defeated Alex Noren in a playoff to win Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge Sunday at Albany in the Bahamas.

Matsuyama has changed quite a few of his clubs from his first win of 2025 at the Sentry in January in Hawaii, including switching to Srixon’s newest driver, the ZXi LS.

His specific model is the Tour-only ZXi LS T251 driver, which is in the bag of many other Srixon pros, like Shane Lowry.

Matsuyama has held on to two older fairway woods, the TaylorMade Qi10 3-wood and a Cobra Rad Speed Tour. His irons and wedges are also the same as in January.

One major change Matsuyama made since January is switching back to his trusty Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter. Matusyama used a custom center-shafted 009 at the Sentry, but he surely has one of the largest putter collections on Tour. The putter he used this week in the Bahamas is referred to as his “Ace.”

For more on Matsuyama’s detailed setup, keep reading below.

Hideki Matsuyama’s winning clubs at the 2025 Hero World Challenge

Driver: Srixon ZXi LS (T251) 9.5 degrees
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8-TX shaft

Srixon ZXi LS Custom Driver

$549.99 from Fairway Jockey

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3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 15 degrees
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9-TX

TaylorMade Qi35 Custom Fairway Wood

$349.99 $299.99 from Fairway Jockey

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5-wood: Cobra King RadSpeed Tour 17.5˚ @ 19˚
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 10-TX

Irons: Srixon Z-Forged II 4-9
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Srixon Z Forged II Custom Irons

Z-Forged II is a traditional muscle back blade Iron designed in close collaboration with Srixon tour pros. Z-Forged II Irons offer crisp feel, maximum control, and pinpoint workability. Feel is born in the forge. On Z-Forged II, Srixon precision forged 1020 Carbon Steel to create an Iron that puts premium feel and exceptional playability at your fingertips. Designed in close collaboration with Srixon’s professional tour staff, Z-Forged II is a highly-workable muscle back blade for skilled players demanding the most from forged feel. PUREFRAME Carefully crafted from 1020 Carbon Steel, Z-Forged II features enhanced feel thanks to PureFrame. The shaping feature strategically adds mass right where you strike the ball for unmatched feel, playability, and performance. BLADE SHAPING Z-Forged II offers everything you’d expect from a contemporary blade design: a compact players package with precision shaping and a stunningly clean address profile. Shaping on the back of the head optimizes CG location and MOI without sacrificing any of the feel or workability demanded by the purest of ball strikers. PROGRESSIVE GROOVES The 3i–7i feature wide grooves, ideal for longer shots in all conditions. The 8i–PW have deeper, closer-set grooves which cut through grass and debris to enhance spin on approach shots. Laser milling between each groove, on every loft, enhances friction in all conditions. TOUR V.T. SOLE Using a proprietary combination of sole-widths, bounce angles, and toe/heel notches, Tour V.T. Sole takes turf interaction to a whole new level of detail. Highly regarded by Srixon tour staff, this unique sole technology encourages a smooth glide through fairway, rough and sand so you can strike the ball solidly without losing speed.  

$199.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Wedges: Cleveland Golf RTX 4 Forged (48, 52-10, 56-08 and 60-08)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle T Newport 2 GSS

Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Putter

STUDIO CARBON STEEL (SCS) FACE INSERT Designed to deliver the unmistakably soft sound and feel of carbon, the new precision milled Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) insert is treated with an electroless nickel plating for enhanced durability in a re-engineered concept that includes the line’s new chain-link face milling technology and aerospace-inspired vibration damping for tuned sound, feel and performance. CHAIN-LINK FACE MILLING TECHNOLOGY New chain-link face milling technology reduces the putter face insert’s touch points at impact with the ball using a texture that softens the sound and provides improved roll characteristics while preserving feel and feedback off the putter face. FULL CONTACT SLIM GRIP With a comfortable chain-link texture to match the new putter face milling pattern, the custom crafted Full Contact Slim paddle-style grip was designed to complement the stroke and performance of blade and mid-mallet putters. Its uniquely contoured profile and flat top provide superior comfort and contact between the hands and the putter, and enhanced body alignment.

$499.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Golf Ball: 2025 Srixon Z-STAR XV

Srixon Z-STAR XV Golf Balls

Z-STAR SeriesWhether you’re chasing major championships or your next personal best, the all-new Z-STAR series is the choice for serious players everywhere. Featuring reformulated cores and covers across the line, this generation of Z-STAR golf balls delivers greater distance, optimized spin, and tour-level stopping power around the green. It’s a formula designed to give you one thing: pure performance when it matters most. Z-STAR XV provides maximum ball speed for unmatched Driver and Iron distance. Its premium 3-piece construction gives skilled players complete tour performance, tee to green.

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Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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The post Hideki Matsuyama accepts Tiger’s challenge, win’s Tiger event appeared first on Golf.

The post Hideki Matsuyama accepts Tiger’s challenge, win’s Tiger event appeared first on Golf.

Before the final round of the Hero World Challenge, Tiger Woods offered a specific challenge to Hideki Matsuyama: Shoot 10 under and you’ll win this thing.

Matsuyama didn’t quite get there, but he got close: Nine under par on 19 holes, a final-round 64 plus a birdie on the first playoff hole, enough to edge out Alex Noren and beat out a star-studded Hero field.

“Tiger is my idol,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “A couple years ago in L.A., we couldn’t take picture, but nine years ago was the first time able to take picture with Tiger and I wanted to take a picture with Tiger [again]. That’s why I played well in Tiger’s event.”

Matsuyama was referring to his win at the 2024 Genesis Invitational, the other event Woods hosts, but Woods withdrew that week and wasn’t part of the winner’s ceremony. Matsuyama also won the Hero in 2016; Woods finished 15th that week and stuck around to present the trophy.

The win was Matsuyama’s first since the Sentry in January, and even though it’s unofficial by PGA Tour standards, it’s the ideal way to enter the offseason after what was, by the Japanese star’s lofty standards, a middling season.

“It was very tough season for me,” Matsuyama said. “[I talked to my] swing coach in Japan, every night and I was just able to play great.”

The fireworks came early and often for Matsuyama in the final round; he made five birdies on the front nine and then holed out from 116 yards for an eagle 2 at No. 10. Seven pars and a birdie the rest of the way was enough to get him into a playoff with Noren, who birdied 15, 16 and 18 to match him at 22 under par.

But when the two returned to 18 for the first sudden-death playoff hole, Matsuyama seized control of the tournament with a flagged 9-iron from 166 yards to three feet. When Noren’s birdie putt slid by the edge, Matsuyama finished out for birdie and the win.

A few other winners: from the Hero:

-Noren’s consolation prize: His fourth top-three finish in his last nine starts plus a Masters berth.

“Especially against players like this, I’m really proud of myself,” Noren said. “I know it may be low scoring right now, but you’ve got to hit the shots out there. Me and my caddie worked very hard this week to get it all in shape.”

-This was Sepp Straka’s first stroke-play start since August’s Tour Championship, where he finished in last place shortly after the birth of his son Thomas. Straka looked much sharper this go-round, shooting 21 under to miss a playoff by just a single shot.

“It was a really good year. It was a great year,” Straka said. “I felt like I had a lot of chances to win tournaments. Won two tournaments for the first time in a season. Yeah, very happy where my game is headed.”

-Scottie Scheffler finished T4, his 16th consecutive worldwide start where he’s finished T8 or better. He left frustrated not to three-peat at the Hero but pleased with the state of his game.

“I would say this feels more to me like the start of the year than the end of the year,” Scheffler said. “You know, I took a pretty good break after the Ryder Cup. It had been another long season, and with the season for me starting a couple weeks later this year with no Maui, I pushed it a little bit further up to this event as well, so I got a good break. It’s nice to come down here, kind of gauge where I’m at. Like I said, very optimistic, did a lot of good things. I definitely felt like some of the stuff I’ve been working on the last few weeks I saw some progress here, and the stuff I was focused on in the offseason, definitely saw some progress here as well. Good place to be.”

-J.J. Spaun finished off a career-changing season with a T4 — but I got a grin out of his firsthand Tiger Woods experience on Saturday pre-round.

“Yeah, he watched me my entire warmup yesterday, like right on my bag,” Spaun said. “We were chatting back and forth. I was just like, so nervous because I’m not used to hitting in front of him. He definitely got the first tee nerves out the way for me there on the range.

“But it was cool, like I loved coming to this tournament growing up in L.A. and just enjoy being involved with anything Tiger does. If you’re hanging around him, you’re in good company, you’re doing something right. It’s been such a fun week and an honor to be here.”

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The post At Oakmont’s brutal U.S. Open, 2 very different fights emerge appeared first on Golf.

The post At Oakmont’s brutal U.S. Open, 2 very different fights emerge appeared first on Golf.

Through 36 holes of the 2025 U.S. Open, there has been one clear winner: famed and brutal Oakmont Country Club has pummeled the world’s best in western Pennsylvania.

After two rounds, only three players are under par, and several of the game’s best slammed their trunks and went home after Friday’s cut, including defending champion Bryson DeChambeau.

Oakmont has inflicted pain on those walking its grounds this week, be they an elite PGA Tour star or an amateur qualifier. The tagline of this U.S. Open has become that “the pain is the point.”

But on Friday, something else bubbled to the surface. Something, like pain, that the U.S. Open tends to accentuate the importance of once a year — the fight.

At this U.S. Open, where challenging conditions have irritated the normally unflappable, two very different, but equally important fights have emerged on the grounds where Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan have all won USGA titles.

There was Viktor Hovland on Friday, riding a U.S. Open rollercoaster with five birdies, an eagle, three bogeys and a double bogey to post a two-under 68 to get within two shots of the 36-hole lead at one under. We watched as Adam Scott put together a professional round of golf to card his second straight even-par round and give himself a legitimate shot at a major title No. 2 on the weekend. There was, of course, Sam Burns, who rode a blistering hot putter to a five-under 65 to take the lead at three under par and put himself in major championship contention for the first time in his career. Brooks Koepka, J.J. Spaun, Ben Griffin, Russell Henley and Si Woo Kim all slugged their way around Oakmont on Friday to give themselves a fighting chance at lifting the trophy on Sunday and etching their name into golf history with a U.S. Open win at Oakmont.

The fight for legacy, history and the ultimate prize is the headliner at Oakmont.

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But there was another kind of fight that took center stage late Friday night.

The fight for pride. Pride in yourself, your game and your desire to survive golf’s toughest test and play the weekend at Oakmont.

My colleague Dylan Dethier chronicled some of Friday’s great cut stories on both sides of the line.

The prideful fight was apparent in a five-time major winner playing with his C game, a Korn Ferry grinder who made it through qualifying, an aging golf legend, a former Masters champion and a player with PGA Tour Americas status and only that, a dentist and a former UVA golfer trying to find a spot in the professional landscape.

Rory McIlroy started his second round with a double bogey at the first and another at the third to fall to eight over for the championship. With his attitude souring and the frustration rising, McIlroy seemed like he was headed for a quick exit and trip home to Jupiter. It wouldn’t have been surprising to see the wheels completely come off as they did for his playing partners, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose.

Instead, McIlroy buckled down and got grinding. That grinding included a tomahawked iron down the 12th fairway and an obliterated 17th tee marker. But it also included birdies at No. 15 and another at No. 18 to get inside the number and book two weekend rounds. McIlroy hasn’t been himself since his Masters victory, and while Friday’s blowups shouldn’t be excused or applauded, his fight and pride in his own game should. The desire not to take the easy bow out and to punch back enough not to see your tournament end early.

The same can be said for qualifier James Nicholas.

Nicholas is a career grinder who has bounced from the Korn Ferry Tour to the DP World Tour and back, hoping to find the game to climb the ladder. That’s the great thing about the U.S. Open. It’s the most democratic major. If you can get your ball in the hole better than anyone else at a local and final qualifier, you can tee it up right alongside the reigning Masters champion.

Nicholas punched his ticket to Oakmont via a 67-68 at the Canoe Brook qualifier and then was one of the handful of players to play the first round at Oakmont under par. A ticket to the weekend was well within his sights entering Friday.

Then, Oakmont punched him in the mouth and kicked him in the stomach.

A front-nine 45 saw Nicholas plummet down the leaderboard and onto the other side of the cutline. The feel-good story was set to end after 27 holes, right?

The grinder had other ideas.

Nicholas birdied the par-5 12th and then stuck his tee shot on the par-3 13th to five feet for another birdie. He stuffed his approach on the par-4 14th to six feet and made a third birdie in a row to jump back inside the projected cutline. After pouring in the birdie at No. 14, Nicholas smiled and made the get louder motion toward a group of family and friends that made the trip from New York State to push him toward his dreams.

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Nicholas bogeyed 15 but responded with a birdie at No. 17. A bogey at the last put a dejected look on his face as he thought that seven over might not be good enough. It was … on the number. The dream continues for 36 more holes for Nicholas before he has to head back to the Korn Ferry Tour and continue his grind up the professional golf world.

There was six-time major champion Phil Mickelson, potentially in his final U.S. Open, scratching and clawing to stick around for the weekend — to bask in the U.S. Open light for two more days. His birdie putt on the last missed, and he went home, but not before one touching gesture, as detailed by our Nick Piastowski.

There was Hideki Matsuyama pouring in a 13-foot birdie on 18 to make it.

But the prideful fight wasn’t contained just to the cutline.

George Duangmanee, who only has conditional status on the PGA Tour Americas, got obliterated by Oakmont. He shot a first-round 86, and the second round didn’t get any better. He shot a front-nine 47 on Friday. His championship was long over, but Duangmanee found solace in another battle — breaking 90. His head down, Duangmanee made a par on the par-4 14th before getting pummeled by a double bogey at 15. Undeterred, Duangmanee made a par at 16 before he was unable to get his ball from the fescue to the green on the par-4 17th and settled for bogey.

On the 18th tee, Duangmanee needed to make bogey-5 to shoot 89. He blew his tee shot into the fairway bunker and had to pitch out, which left him a tricky wedge shot. He hit a wedge to 36 feet and rolled his par putt six feet past the hole. Six feet stood between Duangmanee and a U.S. Open 90. He took a deep breath and studied the putt as if it were to play the weekend or get into the final group and not avoid 90.

He poured it in.

McIlroy, Nicholas and Matsuyama will play the weekend. Duangmanee, Mickelson and dentist Matt Vogt, a U.S. Open folk hero from Pittsburgh, will not.

But they all battled Friday at Oakmont.

Because at the U.S. Open on this famed, harsh, iconic track, that is the point.

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The post ‘This guy wants it’: Masters champ fights flooded green for PGA practice appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘This guy wants it’: Masters champ fights flooded green for PGA practice appeared first on Golf.

On Monday at the Quail Hollow, Mother Nature helped us determine who really wants to win this 2025 PGA Championship. His name is Hideki Matsuyama, and he wasn’t going to let torrential rain impact his major prep.

Severe storms hit PGA Championship host course

The first day of PGA Championship week did not go as planned. Instead of having the entire field of golf stars play practice rounds and prep on the range all day, major downpours walloped the course, forcing most fans and players to pack up and leave.

And the rain isn’t going to stop any time soon. A quick look at the PGA Championship weather forecast for this week in Charlotte shows that things should be calm during the tournament rounds. But before then, more rain is on the way.

Tuesday, May 13, could see severe thunderstorms crash Quail Hollow. And AM showers are expected again on Wednesday.

So if you’re a pro who’s keen on getting as much practice in as possible, you have no choice but to battle with the elements.

And that’s exactly what Matsuyama did on Monday.

Hideki Matsuyama’s crazy, rainy PGA practice

While most players were nowhere to be found once the downpours started on Day 1, PGA Tour pro Austin Eckroat happened to be walking the course.

In the process, he happened upon the practice green and a wild scene that was unfolding.

There on the partially flooded putting surface amid heavy rain was Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, casually getting in some putting practice as if it was a beautiful day.

Two of Matsuyama’s team members were generously helping him out, with one holding an umbrella over his head as he putted. Eckroat took a quick video of the moment, and posted it to Instagram with the caption, “This guy wants it @hideki.matsuyama_official.” Check it out below.

The umbrella was probably unnecessary, as the rain was so heavy that all three men were getting soaked. But Matsuyama continued to roll the rock.

Matsuyama is playing well so far this season. He won the season-opening Sentry event in Hawaii. He’s also collected seven top-25 finishes and only two missed cuts in 11 starts in 2025. At last month’s Masters, Matsuyama finished T21 after enjoying ribeye at Scottie Scheffler’s Masters Champions Dinner.

Now Matsuyama will attempt to capture the second major title of his career at rainy Quail Hollow. And we know he’ll be at least as well prepared as anyone else in the field.

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The post Hideki Matsuyama narrowly avoids flying-driver accident in first round of Sony Open appeared first on Golf.

The post Hideki Matsuyama narrowly avoids flying-driver accident in first round of Sony Open appeared first on Golf.

Hideki Matsuyama arrived at this week’s Sony Open fresh off a historic win at the season-opening Sentry, looking to start the season with back-to-back wins in Hawaii.

But the 32-year-old’s week got off to an inauspicious start Thursday when he hit an errant tee shot on the ninth hole. Matsuyama lost the grip on his driver during his follow-through and launched it toward the patrons on the rope line.

Fortunately for the former Masters champion, the wayward club hit the rope and missed the spectators.

The near-disaster didn’t faze Matsuyama on the 517-yard Par 5.

The off-line tee shot landed near the boundary fence to the left, but that wasn’t an issue for Matsuyama. He escaped danger and left his second shot just short of the green. A pitch and putt allowed him to leave the hole with a birdie en route to a three-under-par 67.

Matsuyama’s 67 was good enough to put him in a tie for 26th after Day 1. He’s currently three shots back of Denny McCarthy, Harry Hall, Eric Cole, Adam Schenk, Tom Hoge, and Paul Peterson. Top amateur Luke Clanton, who can secure his Tour card with a top-five finish this week, is five shots back at one under.

The Japanese star will get his Friday round started at 12:50 p.m. ET alongside Russell Henley (four under) and Sahith Theegala (three under).

The post Hideki Matsuyama narrowly avoids flying-driver accident in first round of Sony Open appeared first on Golf.

The post Hideki Matsuyama, behind a historical PGA Tour score, wins Sentry event appeared first on Golf.

The post Hideki Matsuyama, behind a historical PGA Tour score, wins Sentry event appeared first on Golf.

Hideki Matsuyama, after ripping apart the Plantation Course at Kapalua through three rounds, was asked by a reporter what he felt was the best part of his game, and he murmured to the translator standing to his left. He’d said he wasn’t sure. Modest, as always. He wasn’t going to tout. 

Then again, he also might’ve just had a hard time picking.  

On the tee? Check. Away from the tee? Check. Around the green? Check. On the green? Check. Consistency? Over 54 holes, yes, but Sunday, during the final round of the Sentry event, the PGA Tour’s season-opener, would settle that.

Check. One through 18, it was more of the same, masterfully so. And historically so. Matsuyama peeled off seven birdies and one eagle for a round of eight-under 65 and a tournament total of 35-under, giving him a three-shot win over Collin Morikawa and a PGA Tour record, by one, for the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par. It also marked his 11th career Tour win.  

Sunday, like Thursday, Friday and Saturday, showcased Matsuyama’s bag-wide expertise again. What did you feel was the best part? The birdies on 5, 8, 9, 11 and 12? Those were good. The circles on 8, 11 and 12 all came on putts 20 feet or longer. Or did you like the hole-out on 5 more? It came from 107 yards out, and Matsuyama ooh’ed on that one.

Or did you prefer the action on 16? There, he was feeling the heat. There, he essentially won the tournament. After Morikawa had pulled within two shots on 15, Matsuyama blasted a drive down the right side of the fairway, dropped a wedge to 4 feet and birdied, restoring a three-shot advantage. From there, he parred 17 and birdied 18 for the record. 

At the end, he fist-pumped. 

You’d seemingly get no argument from even him that that was the best part of his week. 

The takeaway

Matsuyama looks dialed in. A year of him and Scottie Scheffler playing darts would be fun, wouldn’t it? 

The leaderboard breakdown

— Hideki Matsuyama starts the final round with a one-shot lead. Matsuyama is at 27-under, Collin Morikawa is at 26-under, Thomas Detry is at 22-under, and Sungjae Im is at 21-under. 

— Matsuyama eagles the 417-yard, par-4 2nd by holing out from 107 yards out, and his lead grows to two. Matsuyama is at 29-under, Morikawa is at 27-under, and Im is at 22-under. 

— Matsuyama birdies the 520-yard, par-5 5th after hitting his third shot to 14 inches, and his lead grows to three. Matsuyama is at 30-under, Morikawa is at 27-under, and Im is at 23-under. 

— Morikawa bogeys the 418-yard, par-4 6th after three-putting from 56 feet, and Matsuyama’s lead increases to four. Matsuyama is at 30-under, Morikawa is at 26-under, and Im is at 23-under. 

— Matsuyama bogeys the 532-yard, par-4 7th after missing the green with his second shot, and Matsuyama’s lead drops back to three. Matsuyama is at 29-under, Morikawa is at 26-under, and Im is at 23-under. 

— Matsuyama and Morikawa each birdie the 185-yard, par-3 8th — Matsuyama on a 20-foot putt, and Morikawa on a 14-footer — and Matsuyama’s lead stays at three strokes. Matsuyama is at 30-under, Morikawa is at 27-under, and Im is at 23-under. 

— Matsuyama birdies the 545-yard, par-5 9th on an 8-footer, and his lead grows to four. Matsuyama is at 31-under, Morikawa is at 27-under, and Im is at 25-under. 

— Morikawa birdies the 377-yard, par-4 10th on a 10-footer, and he pulls within three of the lead. Matsuyama is at 31-under, Morikawa is at 28-under, and Im is at 25-under. 

— Matsuyama and Morikawa each birdie the 167-yard, par-3 11th — Matsuyama on a 30-footer, and Morikawa on an 11-footer — and Matsuyama’s lead stays at three. Matsuyama is at 32-under, Morikawa is at 29-under, and Im is at 25-under. 

— Matsuyama birdies the 429-yard, par-4 12th on a 21-footer, and his lead grows to four. Matsuyama is at 33-under, Morikawa is at 29-under, and Im is at 25-under.  

— Morikawa birdies the 297-yard, par-4 14th on a 6-footer, and he pulls within three. Matsuyama is at 33-under, and Morikawa is at 30-under. 

— Morikawa birdies the 551-yard, par-5 15th after getting home in two, and he pulls within two. Matsuyama is at 33-under, and Morikawa is at 31-under. 

— Matsuyama, under pressure, birdies the 363-yard, par-4 16th with a tee shot down the right side of the fairway and a wedge to 4 feet, and his lead goes back to three. Matsuyama is at 34-under, and Morikawa is at 31-under.  

— On the 678-yard, par-5 18th, Matsuyama hits his tee shot down the left side of the fairway, hits his second shot just to the right of the green, pitches on to 8 feet and drops the putt for a closing birdie. He shoots an eight-under 65 and finishes at 35-under, the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par. Finishing runner-up, at 32-under, was Morikawa, and Im was third, at 29-under.  

The final word 

“That last putt, I felt like if I make it, then it’s going to be the record, and so I’m so happy it went in.” — Matsuyama, through his translator, on Golf Channel after his round 

The post Hideki Matsuyama, behind a historical PGA Tour score, wins Sentry event appeared first on Golf.

The post What clubs does the Sentry winner Hideki Matsuyama use? Winner’s bag appeared first on Golf.

The post What clubs does the Sentry winner Hideki Matsuyama use? Winner’s bag appeared first on Golf.

Behind a final-round 8-under 65 Sunday, Hideki Matsuyama won the Sentry with a tee-to-green clinic, breaking the PGA Tour record with a 35-under total for 72 holes.

Take a closer look at the Srixon, Cleveland, TaylorMade and Titleist clubs Matsuyama used for the historic win, including the prototype Scotty Cameron putter he put in the bag this week and his unreleased Srixon Z-STAR golf ball.

Driver: Srixon ZX5 MK II LS 9.5 degrees (Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8TX shaft)

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9TX shaft), 15 degrees

5-wood: TBA

Irons: Srixon Z-Forged II 4-PW (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts)

Srixon Z Forged II Custom Irons

Z-Forged II is a traditional muscle back blade Iron designed in close collaboration with Srixon tour pros. Z-Forged II Irons offer crisp feel, maximum control, and pinpoint workability. Feel is born in the forge. On Z-Forged II, Srixon precision forged 1020 Carbon Steel to create an Iron that puts premium feel and exceptional playability at your fingertips. Designed in close collaboration with Srixon’s professional tour staff, Z-Forged II is a highly-workable muscle back blade for skilled players demanding the most from forged feel. PUREFRAME Carefully crafted from 1020 Carbon Steel, Z-Forged II features enhanced feel thanks to PureFrame. The shaping feature strategically adds mass right where you strike the ball for unmatched feel, playability, and performance. BLADE SHAPING Z-Forged II offers everything you’d expect from a contemporary blade design: a compact players package with precision shaping and a stunningly clean address profile. Shaping on the back of the head optimizes CG location and MOI without sacrificing any of the feel or workability demanded by the purest of ball strikers. PROGRESSIVE GROOVES The 3i–7i feature wide grooves, ideal for longer shots in all conditions. The 8i–PW have deeper, closer-set grooves which cut through grass and debris to enhance spin on approach shots. Laser milling between each groove, on every loft, enhances friction in all conditions. TOUR V.T. SOLE Using a proprietary combination of sole-widths, bounce angles, and toe/heel notches, Tour V.T. Sole takes turf interaction to a whole new level of detail. Highly regarded by Srixon tour staff, this unique sole technology encourages a smooth glide through fairway, rough and sand so you can strike the ball solidly without losing speed.  

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Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 4 Forged 52-10, 56-08 and 60-08 degrees (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts in 52 and 56, X100 in 60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M Center Shaft Tour Prototype

Golf Ball: Srixon Z-STAR XV (9th generation)

The post What clubs does the Sentry winner Hideki Matsuyama use? Winner’s bag appeared first on Golf.