If putter stays hot, Matsuyama will gain edge in chase for FedExCup glory

American Brad Faxon, an eight-time PGA Tour winner and now a putting guru, tells a funny tale which reinforces the notion that Hideki Matsuyama will leave no stones unturned in his pursuit for perfection, and perhaps, earning the chance as well at rewriting more golf history by the time the 2024 FedExCup Playoffs conclude.

The Japanese star was on the practice green at TPC Southwinds in Memphis before the final round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three Playoffs event, where he held an overnight five-shot lead. Being a putter nerd, Faxon, who also works as a TV analyst, approached Matsuyama about his new Scotty Cameron putter which was he put in his bag for the first time.

“He has a five-shot lead, leading the week in putting stats which was incredible, and I said may I look at your putter as I’ve never seen it,” Faxon told SiriusXM PGA Tour radio. 

“I'm a Scotty Cameron geek too and he takes it out of the head cover, hands it to me and then honest to God, Hideki goes ‘can I have a putting lesson’ and he says it to me in English! I started laughing and said ‘Hideki you're leading by five, you're putting first on Tour this week and want a putting lesson? I thought it was funny and then Bob Turner (Matsuyama’s agent and interpreter) came up and goes ‘he's serious, he wants to know what you like about his putting.’”

Over the years, the flat stick has been Matsuyama’s pain and joy over the years. He is renowned for his superb ball-striking abilities, which is reflected by his Strokes Gained: Tee to Green third ranking this season. Entering Memphis last week — which by the way Matsuyama won by two — he was ranked a lowly 133rd in Strokes Gained: Putting.

His past five seasons have seen him ranked 119th, 114th, 175th, 170th and 97th in putting, which makes one wonder how many more PGA Tour wins he could have won if he putted better and more consistently. At TPC Memphis, his new putter got real hot as he gained an astonishing 12.78 strokes over the field and made a total of 453 feet of putts, the second most in his career which now includes 10 PGA Tour titles.

However, as he prepares for this week’s BMW Championship, there is no guarantee it will