Matsuyama makes history with hard-fought FedEx St. Jude Championship win
Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama became the first Asian golfer to win a FedExCup Playoffs event following a hard-fought two-stroke victory over Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events, on Sunday (Monday Manila time).
The 32-year-old Matsuyama surged to his second title of the season and 10th PGA Tour career victory, thanks to two closing birdies at TPC Southwind in Memphis as he overcame a back nine wobble which saw his overnight five-shot lead turn into a one-shot deficit after dropping four strokes through holes 12-15.
With a new putter in hand, he rolled in a crucial 26-foot birdie putt on the 17th green to restore his lead and then knocked his approach to six feet for a final birdie and cement his stature as Asia’s winningest player on Tour.
“I'm especially happy to be able to win one of the FedExCup Playoff series tournaments. I've tried hard for 10 years, and it's a great feeling of satisfaction to finally be able to have done it,” said Matsuyama through his interpreter.
The triumph moved Matsuyama up to third place in the FedExCup points list with the BMW Championship and Tour Championship to play over the next fortnight. He is seeking to rewrite more golf history as no Asian golfer has won the Tour’s season-long prize, the FedExCup, since its inception in 2007.
A bronze medalist in the recent Paris Olympics, the in-form Asian star credited a new putter in the bag, and stand-in caddie, Taiga Tabuchi, for his stellar week in Memphis. His regular caddie Shota Hayafuji and coach Mikihito Kuromiya were forced to return to Japan to sort out their travel documents after losing their passports during a stopover in London following the Olympics. Hayafuji will be back on Matsuyama’s bag at the BMW Championship.
“Coming into Memphis, I felt like I needed a change of pace, kind of a refresh with my putter. I thought about the putters I had, and I felt - because I knew this course. I knew the condition of the greens. I thought this putter might work, and it did. I putted great, and I won,” said Matsuyama, who ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting through four rounds — a stark contrast to his 133rd
