MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hideki Matsuyama lost a five-shot lead in four holes and responded by birdieing two of the toughest holes on the course to save an even-par 70 and claim a two-shot victory Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Golf Championship.
The start of the PGA Championship postseason saw tense moments at the top of the tournament standings and on the bubble to determine the top 50 FedEx Cup players who advanced.
Nick Dunlap went from having a chance to win to having to do his best to extend his season, and he played his best all day to qualify for next week. Tom Kim looked certain to move on to the next FedEx Cup qualifying event until he finished his season with a 6-6-6 record.
Xander Schoeffel started nine shots behind and waited to see if he would advance to a playoff. Hovland was one shot ahead with two holes to play.
Eventually, it came to Matsuyama.
He was up by five strokes at the start of the day, having played 27 straight holes without a mistake, and took a five-stroke lead when he made a short putt from 20 feet on the 11th hole.
Then it all came crashing down – a three-over par on the 12th, a putt into the water on the 14th, a failed attempt at a putt, then two straight shots to get to the 15th for a double over par.
That put him one stroke behind Hovland, the defending FedEx Cup champion who entered the postseason ranked 57th with no guarantees he would be able to defend his BMW Championship title next week.
But Hovland got a foul shot out of the bunker on the 17th hole — the third-toughest hole at the TPC Southwind Championship in the final round — and missed a nine-foot putt on the 18th to post a 66.
He tied with Schauffele, who played flawlessly in the heat, scoring 63 points.
Matsuyama had been in great form with his putter all week, reaching the front of the hole on the 17th hole from the left rough, then hitting a winner from just over 25 feet to stay one up.
The final group on the last hole—the hardest of the day—was as follows: Matsuyama needed a par to win, while Dunlap needed a par to move from 67th to the top 50. Any mistake would have pushed the former U.S. Amateur champion out of the top 50.
The two shots split the middle of the fairway. Dunlap hit the ball just 20 feet away, while Matsuyama boldly putted it 6 feet away for another point.
“I was a train wreck. I’m not going to lie. I was more nervous than I’ve ever been, to be honest,” Dunlap said of the final two holes. “I didn’t want the season to end.”
69 points was enough to tie for fifth place.
Matsuyama, who finished with a 263-under par, won for the second time this year. He shot a final-round 62 to win the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. After taking bronze at the Olympics, his performance was impressive except for that dreadful four-hole spell.
He won $3.6 million and moved from eighth to third in the FedEx Cup.
It was a tough week for the Japanese star, who had to find a replacement and could only work with his coach over the phone. They were all on their way home from the Paris Olympics for dinner in London when someone stole their bag when they weren’t looking.
The thief stole Matsuyama’s wallet and the passports of his assistant and coach. They had to return to Japan and quickly find replacements. Matsuyama continued to work like it was just another work week and earned his first postseason win.
The final 50th spot went to Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who was expected to be out for most of Sunday’s action.
Hovland, Dunlap and Eric Cole (No. 54) advanced into the top 50. Cole did so with a 63, despite a foul on the final hole. Kim (No. 43), Mackenzie Hughes (No. 48) and Jake Knapp (No. 50) dropped out of the top 50.
Kim was poised to advance until he needed two shots to get off the green on the 16th hole (fault), two shots to get on the green on the 17th hole (double fault), and a tee shot into the water on the 18th hole (double fault).
“This season was… it was like that,” Kim said. “I played really good golf, and then I had some tough finishes. I feel like 2024 was a big blow for me.”
