Matsuyama shoots 62, surges to victory at Genesis

CALIFORNIA: Hideki Matsuyama fired a bogey-free, 9-under 62 -- one shy of tying the record at Riviera Country Club -- to overtake the field and win the Genesis Invitational by three strokes on Sunday in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

The Japanese pro began the day six shots off Patrick Cantlay’s lead but zipped up the leaderboard with three-birdie runs at Nos. 1-3, 10-12 and 15-17. He entered the clubhouse at 17-under 267 for the week, and no one from the pack of remaining contenders could catch him.

Matsuyama set the record for the lowest closing round by a winner at Riviera, one of the most historic venues on the PGA Tour. He also surpassed South Korea’s K.J. Choi for the most PGA Tour titles by an Asian-born player, with nine.

“Shigeki (Maruyama) won three times (on tour) and after I won the fourth one, Shigeki told me, ‘Hey, you’ve got to pass K.J. Choi,” Matsuyama said via interpreter Ken Hirai. “So I was very happy to do that and I’ll definitely text Shigeki that I achieved this win this week.”

Matsuyama, 31, had not won on tour since January 2022 and slipped to No. 55 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The 2021 Masters remains the crowning achievement of his career, but by winning the third signature event of the season, Matsuyama earns a $4 million payday and 700 FedEx Cup points.

At one point Sunday afternoon, five players were tied for the lead at 14 under par, including Will Zalatoris and Matsuyama. Zalatoris rolled in a 12-foot birdie at the par-4 13th to grab sole possession of the lead, but he went 1 over for his final five holes to shoot a 69 and tie for second with Luke List (68) at 14 under.

Matsuyama flashed his irons and took advantage with his final triplet of birdies. His 6-iron approach at the par-4 15th nestled within a foot of the cup for a tap-in birdie. Then he stepped up to the 160-yard, par-3 16th and dropped his tee shot to 6 inches.