Hideki Matsuyama cruised to victory in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club after a nine-under 62 in Sunday’s final round.
Tiger Woods hosted the tournament in California, but the 15-time Grand Slam champion withdrew during the second round due to illness.
Matsuyama made nine birdies in his bogey-free final round to finish three shots ahead of Will Zalatoris and Luke List. It is his ninth victory on the PGA Tour and his first since the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii.
Matsuyama set the Riviera record for lowest final round by a winner, coming back from a six-stroke deficit to break the record for Asian-born players that he had shared with KJ Choi of South Korea.
Matsuyama finished at 17 under, while Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, best friends who played in the final group, faded on the back nine and tied for fourth place.
Hideki Matsuyama claimed victory at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club
Matsuyama made nine birdies in his bogey-free final round to finish three strokes ahead on Sunday.
Cantlay had a two-shot lead entering the final round and appeared to be in complete control of his game. But he struggled from the start on Sunday.
Cantlay missed a 12-foot birdie attempt on the easy par-5 opening hole, and then didn’t have another birdie putt until the sixth hole. He closed with a 72.
Schauffele struggled equally, shooting a 70 in his final round. Instead, it was List who set the early pace before Zalatoris took the lead midway through the back nine.
At one point there was a five-way tie for the lead, but then Matsuyama took control with pure brilliance.
Tournament host Tiger Woods forced to withdraw from Genesis Invitational
His final act was a strong four-footer to reach par on the final hole and he made a fist, a rare display of emotion from the Japanese star, as he fell.
His 62 broke, by one, the Riviera record for best final round by a winner set by Doug Tewell in 1986.
Matsuyama had struggled the past two years, starting with a neck and back injury at Bay Hill in March 2022. He only managed six top-10 finishes during that stretch and fell out of the world’s top 50.
“Ever since that injury, every week I worried that something bad would happen,” Matsuyama said. ‘This week I didn’t have any problems. I played without worries. “That really helped.”
The victory was worth $4 million out of a $20 million purse and places him in 20th place in the world. Matsuyama now has 18 victories worldwide, eight on the Japan Golf Tour and the unofficial Hero World Challenge, also hosted by Woods.
