The China Mail - Matsuyama sets 72-hole PGA record to capture Sentry title

The 32-year-old Japanese star outdueled American Collin Morikawa to capture his 20th worldwide title and 11th PGA Tour victory in the 2025 season opener.

Matsuyama sank an eight-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii, to take the low-par mark for four rounds.

Australian Cameron Smith had owned the PGA Tour all-time low tournament record with a 34-under 258 on the same layout in 2022.

Needing a birdie at the last for the record, and with a secure lead over Morikawa, Matsuyama chipped his third from just off the green, then rolled his final putt straight into the hole, allowing himself a right fist pump of celebration.

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

Matsuyama, who took a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, won for the third time in 12 months after titles at Riviera and Memphis last year.

"I was able to get a great off-season and get a fresh start this week and play well this week so it's a great way to start," he said.

Sixth-ranked Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, battled fourth-ranked Morikawa, a two-time major winner, over the back nine but stayed ahead the whole way, his lead wavering between two and four shots.

"I knew Collin was going to play good today so I said, 'Hey I'm going to shoot 10-under' and that's the attitude I had," Matsuyama said.

Matsuyama sank a birdie putt from just beyond 30 feet at the par-3 11th to reach 32-under but Morikawa matched him from 11 feet to stay three adrift.

Answering the challenge, Matsuyama rolled in a birdie putt from just outside 21 feet at the 12th, boosting his lead to four strokes.

Morikawa cut the gap with a birdie from seven feet at the 14th and reached the green in two at the par-5 15th to set up a tap-in birdie that pulled him within two.

Matsuyama, however, landed his approach inside four feet at the 16th and sank the birdie putt to reach 34-under and stretch his edge back to three strokes, setting up his dramatic finish.

Morikawa closed with a birdie to shoot 67 and finish second on 260, settling for his sixth consecutive top-seven finish and second runner-up trophy in three years.

"Going through the shots I left out there," Morikawa said. "There's a good handful I wish I could have back. When you don't get it done that's where your mind goes."

South Korea's Im Sung-jae was third on 263 with Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas fourth on 267.

- Early eagle aids Hideki -

Matsuyama began the day with a one-stroke lead and soared early on eagle wings.

Matsuyama holed out from the fairway for eagle from 107 yards at the par-4 third to reach 29-under, although Morikawa sank a birdie putt from just outside 13 feet to stay within two strokes.

A tap-in birdie at the par-5 fifth lifted Matsuyama to 30-under with a three-shot lead.

Matsuyama sent his approach into the right rough at the par-4 seventh and missed a 16-foot par putt for his first bogey in 47 holes.

Both players sank birdie putts at the par-3 eighth and Matsuyama made an eight-foot birdie putt at the ninth to make the turn with a four-stroke advantage.

Canada's Taylor Pendrith made the first albatross in the event that launched in 1999, holing his second shot at the par-5 fifth hole from 203 yards with a 6-iron.

Pendrith's first PGA albatross came in his 88th tour start. The ball landed short of the hole, bounced twice and then struck the flagstick and dropped in the hole.

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler did not compete after suffering a hand injury in a Christmas cooking accident.

A.Zhang--ThChM