Hideki Matsuyama kicked off the new season in style, breaking the PGA Tour record for par over 72 holes with an 8-under 65, securing a three-shot victory over Collin Morikawa. And let’s just say, Morikawa’s reaction to Matsuyama’s 35-under-par score was priceless. Ours was too! 

“Excuse my language, but f—k! That’s low! I mean, he was matching me yesterday shot for shot, and I felt like I was playing lights out, right? Like, yes, you could leave some shots out there, but you shoot 11-under on any golf course, you’re going to be happy, right? Today he just never let up. Then you get to the third hole and the guy holes it. I just knew I had to be on top of everything, and just kind of let a few slip on that front nine. Played a good back nine, but to win on a course like this, conditions like this, you got to have it for 72, and I had it for 65.”  he said, clearly in awe of Matsuyama’s performance.

He sure dropped an f-bomb on the camera. And while we all got a good laugh out of it, the PGA Tour’s not exactly keen on that kind of language. They have a code of conduct that includes fines for profanity, though the exact amounts are a bit of a mystery. We’ve seen this before—like when Curtis Strange was fined in 2010 for swearing on TV or when Tiger Woods got hit with fines for dropping colorful language during rounds.

Curtis Strange was seen and heard on television cursing an off-camera source. The announcement of the fine was made by PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman. After this, Strange issued a statement wherein saying that his “outburst was not directed to the gallery. A photographer who should have known better snapped his camera while I was addressing my ball. I backed off the shot, looked at him and said, ‘Give me a break.’ Then in the middle of my swing, he snapped another picture which caused me to flinch and shove my shot to the right of the green. Needless to say, my adrenaline was flowing and hence my outburst.”

After the 2011 Masters, a viewer wrote the FCC complaining that Woods had used a “profane 4 letter word” during the CBS telecast, adding that “Bobby Jones is turning over in his grave.”A year later a woman from Vancouver complained of Woods’s word choice during the second-round coverage of the 2012 Masters on ESPN.

“On Good Friday while my husband was watching the Masters Golf Tournament all of a sudden the living room is filled with a person swearing using the Lord’s name in vain — and damning …This is unacceptable. When watching a sports program we should be free from vile insulting assaults like this one issued by Tiger Woods when he was unhappy with his golf drive.”

These were all done in frustration, but Morikawa’s was of surprise! He might face a fine for his slip-up, but can you really blame him? With scores like Matsuyama’s, who wouldn’t be at a loss for words?

Hideki Matsuyama is not ready to stop

Hideki Matsuyama played in 20 events in 2024 and snagged two wins, along with seven top-10 finishes, 19 cuts made, and 11 top-25 finishes. But of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. After winning bronze at the Olympics he had a setback when they got robbed at a London airport. He lost his wallet, and his caddie and coach had to scramble to deal with missing passports. 

With a fill-in caddie, Taiga Tabuchi, by his side, he went on to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship. And get this—he almost blew a five-shot lead but pulled it back with back-to-back birdies. After the win, Matsuyama said, “Maybe because of (what happened in London), I won this week.” 

Now,  at Kapalua, Matsuyama finished his record-breaking week with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th, throwing in a subtle fist pump—about as much emotion as we saw from him all week. That birdie put him at 35-under 257, breaking Cameron Smith’s 34-under record from 2022 at Kapalua.

He also set another record with 35 birdies or better for the tournament, topping marks held by Smith and Sungjae Im. This victory added to his 11th career PGA Tour win and his third in the last 10 months, all while going head-to-head with some of the strongest fields out there.

By winning the event Matsuyama’s $3.6 million payday pushed his career earnings over the $60 million mark. Pretty impressive, right? But he’s not slowing down. Matsuyama’s got another shot at a win next week at the Sony Open on Oahu, where he took home the trophy just three years ago. Could he make it two in a row? We’ll just have to wait and see!