Hideki Matsuyama wins his third straight golf tournament at Hero World Challenge, closing with a two-shot victory.
This makes the 24-year-old rising star the only men's player to win five times this year. Hideki Matsuyama started his winning streak at the Japan Open and continues his domination at Hero World Challenge, a tournament which benefits Tiger Wood's foundation. Tiger Woods presented Hideki Matsuyama his trophy at the Albany Golf Course.
Considered as one of the hottest stars of the sport right now, Hideki Matsuyama did have a few nervous moments when his seven stroke cushion over British Open champion Hendrik Stenson was reduced to two. But the Japanese champion was able to hold off Stenson from the trophy and closed with two pars for a 1 over 73 and a two-shot victory.
Hideki Matsuyama goes on to say, "I can't say that I played well today but I did win Tiger's tournament, and what a great honor that is." Hendrik Stenson also acknowledges Hideki Matsuyama's play, saying, "I was miles away. It reminded me of the final round at [the U.S. Open at] Pinehurst in 2014, when [Martin] Kaymer was miles ahead and you were just kind of walking in a bit of a vacuum."
Hideki Matsuyama has won first in four out of his five starts for this season. His other finish was a runner-up for the CIMB Classic. He continues, "I'm not even close to being mentioned in the same sentence as Tiger. But I am working hard, and hopefully, little by little, I'll get better and better."
Jordan Spieth also praised Hideki Matsuyama, saying, "You can't really call it a run, because even when he doesn't play that well, he still plays well. He's got all the keys. I think he'll be a major champion within the next couple years."
If Hideki Matsuyama continues to play this well, he'll be one of the favorites to win the Masters in August next year.
