MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama survived a shaky back nine to shoot even-par 70 Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and win the opening leg of the PGA Tour’s season-ending playoffs at TPC Southwind.
Matsuyama finished at 17-under 263, two strokes better than World No. 2 Xander Schauffele (63) and defending FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland of Norway (66). Matsuyama used back-to-back birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 to secure the victory.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (66) finished alone in fourth at 14-under 266.
Matsuyama, bronze medalist at the Paris Olympics, carried a five-stroke lead into Sunday — the largest 54-hole advantage of his career — but he faltered down the stretch. After playing his first 11 holes at 2 under, he came unraveled. He endured a bogey-par-bogey-double bogey stretch from Nos. 12-15 to allow Schauffele and Hovland to briefly pass him.
But Matsuyama recovered with a clutch 26-foot birdie putt on 17 and a 6-footer at 18, the toughest hole on the course.
Hovland had back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 to get to 16 under par and surpass Matsuyama, who enjoyed a five-stroke lead at the turn.
Schauffele was at 8 under — nine strokes behind Matsuyama — to begin the round. He made a charge with a bogey-free round and nearly chipped in off the green on 18 to make the final hole tougher for Matsuyama. Schauffele’s chip from 75 feet struck the flag.
“It was a head-down day, just hit as many good shots as you can,” Schauffele said. “You’re so far back (to start).”
Matsuyama earned the 10th PGA Tour title of his career. It came after a pre-tournament robbery in London that left him without his caddie and coach, who lost their passports in the robbery and had to return to Japan. Matsuyama was forced to use a substitute caddie.
There may not be a course better suited to Matsuyama’s game. Three years ago, Matsuyama nearly won at TPC Southwind when the club hosted the WGC-FedEx Invitational. He forced a playoff, but lost to Abraham Ancer. Entering Sunday he had 13 consecutive rounds of par or better at Southwind, a streak he narrowly extended.
Schauffele made an early run up the leaderboard and kept the pressure on. Starting the round nine strokes back, Schauffele birdied four of the first six holes and moved in a tie for second at 12 under.
At the turn, Matsuyama had the five-stroke advantage he began with, needing only a 38-foot birdie putt on No. 8 to maintain the huge cushion. Matsuyama parred the other eight holes on the front side and was at 18 under.
Hovland and rookie Nick Dunlap were the closest to Matsuyama at the turn, each at 13 under par. Hovland had back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to move into second place.
When Schauffele and Hovland got within four strokes early on the back nine, Matsuyama calmly sank another birdie putt, a 19-footer on No. 11, to go to 19 under. Schauffele, with his sixth birdie through 13 holes, had moved to 14 under before Matsuyama’s putt.
Then the struggles began for Matsuyama.
The opening tournament of the season-ending playoffs featured the top 70 in the FedEx Cup points standings. The top 50 in the standings advance to the next round, the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado. Dunlap qualified with a par on 18, completing his move from No. 67 in the standings to No. 48.
The Tour Championship will be played Labor Day weekend at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Those who finished Sunday ranked in the top 50 not only move on to Colorado but are eligible for each of the eight PGA Tour signature event in 2025.
–Phil Stukenborg, Field Level Media