HONOLULU (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama erased a five-shot deficit over the back nine holes and then won the Sony Open playoff with one of the best shots of his career, a sunny 3-wood that set the table for an eagle, and in that way he beat Russell Henley on Sunday.
It was Matsuyama’s 18th victory on the PGA Tour, putting him on par with KJ Choi for the fourth most by an Asian player.
“I got into a streak,” said Matsuyama, who had 31 shots over the final nine holes, while Henley shot eight pars and one bogey. “I’m very happy with how things turned out,” he said.
Matsuyama hit a driver hard on the par-five 18th to set up two birdie putts for a 7-under 63 run and force a playoff when Henley missed a birdie putt to close out the round on 65.
Back on the 18th for a sudden-death playoff, Matsuyama used a 3-wood on Henley in a sand trap on the fairway. He protected himself from the sun and prepared his shot. He didn’t need to see it and the fans exploded when the ball landed near the hole.
