Hideki Matsuyama just made golf history in spectacular fashion, shooting an incredible 35-under par to win The Sentry and set a new PGA Tour scoring record.
The Japanese star finished three shots clear of the field on Sunday, breaking Cameron Smith’s previous record by one stroke. And he did it with style, sinking a clutch birdie putt on the final hole.
It’s pretty amazing how he got there. During his final round of 65, Matsuyama holed out for eagle on the third hole – meaning he knocked it straight in from the fairway.
Then he did something really special on the fifth hole: he made his 20th consecutive birdie there. Yes, you read that right – 20 birdies in a row.
The 32-year-old had a brief hiccup with a bogey before the turn, giving runner-up Collin Morikawa a glimmer of hope. But Matsuyama quickly crushed those dreams by rattling off four birdies in five holes.
“I knew Collin was going to play good today,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “So I told myself, hey, I’m going to shoot 10-under today. That’s the attitude I had.”
That final record-breaking putt? It meant something special to him.
“That last putt, it felt like if I make it, then it’s going to be the record,” he said. “I’m so happy that it went in.”
For Morikawa, who started just one shot behind, it was a tough pill to swallow. He played well, shooting 67, but it wasn’t enough to catch the red-hot Matsuyama.
“There was a good handful of shots that I wish I could have back,” Morikawa admitted. “When you don’t get it done, that’s where your mind goes to.”
This marks Matsuyama’s 11th PGA Tour victory – and his third in just the past year. He’s definitely on a roll.
Sungjae Im finished third at 29-under, while Jhonattan Vegas took fourth place. Ludvig Aberg, Thomas Detry, and Corey Conners shared fifth place at 24-under.
