San Diego, California, United States: Hideki Matsuyama set a couple of records en route to a stunning victory at the Genesis Invitational last season but he still wasn’t fully satisfied – he missed a customary photo with the tournament host, who happens to be Tiger Woods.
The 32-year-old Japanese won at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles some 12 months ago following a closing nine-under 62, the lowest final round by a winner, and broke a tie with Korean KJ Choi for most PGA Tour victories by an Asian golfer with a ninth career title.
“I’m looking forward to defending my title this week and I’ve heard some rumour that Tiger might be here this Sunday, so hopefully I get that trophy and get that picture with him this week,” Matsuyama said.
In order to achieve his goal, Matsuyama will need to overcome a different test and a stellar field as the US$20 million showpiece is being played at Torrey Pines’ South Course in San Diego this week due to the tragic wildfires which hit Los Angeles last month.
While he did not get his photo with Woods, who withdrew from the second round last year due to flu-like symptoms, Matsuyama said he met the golf legend at the Masters two months later. “He gave me a big smile and congratulated me, so that kind of made it extra special, winning at Riviera,” he said.
“Before the fire, I was really looking forward to coming back to Riviera, but with the situation, I wasn’t able to come back. (However) I feel like I had a really good preparation in the two days so really looking forward to this week.”
Victory at Riviera led to a resurgence in form as Matsuyama ended a frustrating two-year winless drought, and subsequently claimed further wins at the FedEx St Jude Championship in August and The Sentry in Hawaii last month. His most recent triumph saw him establish a 72-hole winning record of 35-under, and also a new record for most birdies or better with 35 during the week.
Matsuyama, fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking, believes that staying healthy and injury-free has been key to his recent success. “I feel like I don't have much injury right now and I’ve been able to practice more compared to the last two seasons. I think that’s maybe the key to me being consistent,” said the Japanese, currently third on the FedEx Cup standings.
“Two years ago, or before that, I had this injury where I wasn’t able to practice as much as I wished. Let’s say I wanted to practice for one hour, but because of that I was only able to practice for 15 minutes. I feel like my body being healthy is the key of being in good condition right now,” added the 2021 Masters champion.
The South Course will not be an unfamiliar test for Matsuyama as it is the host venue for the Farmers Insurance Open, which he has played in every edition since 2014. He holds two top-10s at the famed venue, including a best of tied third in 2019 and was tied 32nd at the event three weeks ago. “It seems like it's going to rain this week and the greens, they were soft today,” said Matsuyama.
The 72-man field will showcase 46 of the world’s top-50 golfers including number one-ranked Scottie Scheffler, number three Rory McIlroy, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago, and other Asian stars including the Korean quartet of Tom Kim, Im Sung-jae, An Byeong-hun and Kim Si-woo.
Woods, winner of 82 PGA Tour titles, has withdrawn from the tournament as he continues to mourn the loss of his mother, Kultida, who passed away on February 4.
Due to the wildfires, Genesis will donate US$8 million in 100 tournament vehicles and cash contributions to relief and rebuilding efforts through the California Rises initiative which is being supported by the Tour and TGR Live.