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With a great comeback in the fourth and final round, Hideki Matsuyama celebrates his victory at the Genesis Invitational in California. In Pacific Palisades, the Japanese golfer player, who finished the third round in 7th place, with a score of 62 (-9) for a total of 267 (69 68 68 62, -9) strokes, surpassed Americans Will Zalatoris and Luke List, both tied for 2nd with 270 (-14), ahead of Californians Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, tied for 4th with 271 (-13) along with Canadian Adam Hadwin.
Meanwhile, the world's number one player, American Scottie Scheffler, finished 10th with 276 (-8).
Hideki Matsuyama, results at the Genesis
The Englishman Tommy Fleetwood also scored the same, among others. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, could only manage 24th place with 279 (-5), paying the price for a start below expectations.
On the Riviera Country Club course (par 71), the PGA Tour tournament saw Tiger Woods withdraw in the second round due to illness. Then, as if that weren't enough, Jordan Spieth was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard, marking a "3" on a hole where he had actually made a "4".
Despite Cantlay's dominance in the first three rounds, Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, with a bogey-free finish bolstered by nine birdies, three of which were decisive to close the gap, outclassed the competition. This victory is his gift for his 32nd birthday (which falls on Sunday, February 25).
It marks his ninth title (including a Major) on the PGA Tour, the first since January 2022 (Sony Open in Hawaii). As the first Japanese player to win the Genesis Invitational, Matsuyama jumped from 55th to 20th in the world rankings.
His win in California earned him $4,000,000 out of a total prize pool of $20,000,000. Now, the PGA Tour moves from California to Mexico. The Mexico Open will take place in Vallarta from February 22nd to 25th. Italy will be represented by Francesco Molinari in the tournament.