After confronting a late-game falter, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan accomplished a two-stroke win on the thrilling culminating day of the FedEx St Jude Championship. Despite a robust five-stroke lead as he commenced the fourth round at TPC Southwind, Matsuyama was seemingly on the verge of losing the championship. Following two birdies prior to the 12th hole, he conceded four shots in four successive holes.
A discussion regarding a possible violation around fixing a pitch mark on an earlier hole with officials visibly disturbed the 32-year-old Japanese golfer prior to teeing off at the 12th hole. He then had a bogey on the 12th hole, dropped another stroke at the par-three 14th after misplacing his tee shot into water and double-bogeyed the 15th, which cost him his title lead.
Viktor Hovlund slipped into the lead with 16 under par but lost a point at the 17th, tying with Open winner Xander Schauffele, who had scored an error-free 63. Nevertheless, Matsuyama revived himself with birdies on each of the last two holes to bring his score up to 17 under.
Expressing his joy post his triumphant finish, Matsuyama shared, “It’s incredibly gratifying to win one of the FedEx playoff series tournaments after striving to achieve it for a decade.”
The world’s top-ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, ended up in fourth place, one stroke behind. American Nick Dunlap, although Matsuyama’s most significant yet distant contender at the start of the day, ended up tying with fellow countryman Sam Burns for the fifth place on 13 under. This tied finish also ensured Dunlap’s spot in the top 50 of the FedEx and qualified him for the forthcoming BMW Championship in Colorado the next week.
Despite his efforts, Séamus Power couldn’t make it into the top 50 as he settled for the 56th spot after a final round score of three-under 67, leaving him tied in the 10th position.
Rory McIlroy concluded the tournament with another 74, putting him nine over par, yet he secured fifth place in the rankings. He will be joined by Shane Lowry at Castle Pines, who ended his week with a score of 71, one over, and a cumulative score of one under. Concurrently, on the Champions Tour, Darren Clarke concluded with an impressive five-under 65, completing in a joint third-place with a score of 14 under, trailing three strokes behind the American victor, Ken Tanigawa, at Canada’s Rogers Charity Classic. Conversely, Pádraig Harrington underperformed in his final round at Canyon Meadows in Calgary, scoring an even 70, ultimately ranking joint seventh with an overall score of 11 under.