‘I Was Watching All Day’: Tiger Woods Ends Hideki Matsuyama’s ‘Disappointment’ Despite Illness woes

After 763 days, Hideki Matsuyama carded his first win on the PGA Tour! The scintillating victory at the Riviera Country Club looks like a story out of a perfect book. The Japanese golfer started the round with a six-stroke deficit but soon made up the difference by carding impressive nine birdies and a bogey-free round, which resulted in Matsuyama’s win on the Californian greens.

The Genesis win broke the winless streak for the PGA Tour Pro from his last win in January 2022. The victory does taste sweet but it would have been sweeter for the 31-year-old pro if only the event’s host, Tiger Woods, had been present at the Genesis Invitational. Well, even though Mr.T could not be on the greens in person, his single gesture must have brightened Matsuyama’s day.

Tiger Woods was glued to the screen, watching Hideki Matsuyama

After his victory, Matsuyama shared that winning at Genesis had been on his bucket list for a long time and said it was “one of my goals ever since I became pro.” And when Tiger Woods became the host, “that goal became a lot more bigger.” However, Woods had to withdraw from the event after coming down with the flu and was at his home in Florida. The Genesis winner said, “A little disappointed that I wasn’t able to take a picture with Tiger today.” Soon after he shared his unfulfilled wish, the Jupiter resident posted a tweet for Matsuyama. Woods congratulated him on the “incredible win” and said, “I was watching all day.” Moreover, Woods complimented Matsuyama’s run to take the lead and said, “Seeing a record breaking 62 and coming from six shots back is truly special.”

Matsuyama started his day with three consequent birdies at the front nine on the first three holes. He then followed the same on the back and went on to shoot three more birdies at the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes, eventually ending his round with a par, The Japanese golfer had shot 9 under 62, which was the lowest round recorded at the Riviera Country Club on the PGA Tour.

Although the 31-year-old received his trophy from the team at the Genesis Invitational, the tweet from Woods was surely enough to make the day for Matsuyama. While he achieved the lowest round feat at Riviera, another title had been added to Matsuyama’s resume as an Asian golfer.

Hideki Matsuyama breaks record for an Asian golfer

The win at the Tiger Woods course was the ninth victory in Hideki Matsuyama’s illustrious career. The last one was at the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii and it was also his first top-10 on the PGA Tour since 2023 The PLAYERS Championship. After the win, Matsuyama has become the only Asian golfer with 9 titles on the PGA Tour.

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Matsuyama became the Asian golfer with the most wins on the PGA Tour, breaking the record that was previously held by South Korean golfer K.J. Choi. The 31-year-old said, “Reaching nine wins was one of my big goals.” However, after his neck injury, the feat had looked tough and, at times, out of his reach, Matsuyama expressed. Though finally winning a title has boosted his morale and pushed him to look for more!

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