Those with better memories will undoubtedly quote Jumbo Ozaki, the Japanese golfer who would turn 75 next week and who added 114 victories (113 on the national circuit), as the best Asian golfer in history. Others will run for Isao Aoki, the only Asian golfer in the Hall of Fame. But being fair, the main reverence goes to Hideki Matsuyama, the current champion of the Augusta Masters and who on Sunday scored the Sony Open in Hawaii in the playoff, a tournament that already places him as the golfer with the most titles on the PGA Tour along with to the Korean KJ Choi, whom he surpasses in quality of victories.
Matsuyama won the eighth title on the American Circuit to continue adding victories in a collection that includes a major, two World Cups and the Memorial as the most outstanding regular tournament. His victory was fabulous, coming back five shots ahead of Russell Henley, who had covered the first 9 holes on Sunday in 29 shots. And it allowed him to return to the world top 10, a group from which he had left in June 2018 and to which he had not returned despite having won the green jacket last April.
Above all the blows, the wood 3 stood out from 250 meters in the playoff to give up a 5-meter putt for eagle who pocketed. It was the culmination of two magical hours: 29 shots for the 9 second holes of the last day, without errors, after having closed the first round with a three-putt bogey. It was the confirmation that the 29-year-old golfer can fight for much bigger companies. “I no longer have the pressure of having to win a big one,” he warns when questioned.
The new Japanese hero who could not win the gold medal in Tokyo -he lost the bronze in a large tiebreaker- he extended with that card of 63 strokes a streak of 13 rounds playing under 70 strokes, which is the longest active on the PGA Tour and leading the putt statistics of the Sony Open, a section who almost never usually leads the one who wins the tournament.
in the other corner, Henley heightened his misery on the last day of the tournaments. He has started six times as the leader on Sunday and was only able to finish it off once: on this stage in Waialae in 2013. It has already rained.
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