Hideki Matsuyama did the unthinkable on Sunday, scorching Riviera Country Club en route to running away with the Genesis Invitational title. In doing so, he conquered the track known as ‘Hogan’s Alley.’
A gorgeous statue of Ben Hogan, who won the 1948 U.S. Open at Riviera, still stands and overlooks the 18th green.
But on Sunday, it was Matsuyama who stood above the rest of the field, winning by three shots. He fired a 9-under 62 on Sunday, the lowest score of the week. It is also the lowest final-round score ever recorded at Riviera, per Justin Ray of The Athletic.
Nobody could have ever guessed that Matsuyama would climb into contention, let alone easily win. He began the day at 8-under, six shots behind 54-hole leader Patrick Cantlay.
But he opened his final round with three straight birdies to put himself into contention.
He then made three straight birdies again on the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes, which got him to 14-under. At that point, he held a share of the lead with four other players: Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Luke List, and Will Zalatoris.
Matsuyama then made two easy pars on 13 and 14, as he turned to the par-4 15th. By then, Zalatoris had jumped up to 15-under, but nobody would stop Matsuyama.
Not today.
He hit the shot of the day at the challenging par-4 15th, hitting his second shot from 189 yards to a mere inches. He tapped in for birdie, only the third birdie allowed by the 15th on Sunday.
Many of his competitors stumbled on the 15th, the second-hardest hole at Riviera this week. That only increased the value of his superb second shot, as he gained even more strokes on the field by walking away with an easy three.
And yet, Matsuyama was not finished.
On the very next hole, the beautiful par-3 16th, Matsusyama struck his tee shot to six inches—even closer than his strike on the hole prior.
He tapped in for birdie once again, and suddenly, Matsuyama held the solo lead at 16-under.
He would not look back.
Then, on the pivotal par-5 17th, Matsuyama avoided the bunker off the tee and stripped his tee shot down the middle of the fairway. From there, he flushed a 3-wood up and over the green, and got up-and-down for birdie—his ninth of the day.
Unlike Cantlay on the day prior, Matsuyama took advantage of the 17th, and when his birdie putt dropped on Riviera’s penultimate hole, the tournament was all but over.
Matsuyama then had zero trouble on 18, as he easily won the PGA Tour’s third signature event of the year.
His Sunday 62 at Riviera will live on forever, just as Hogan’s presence always has and always will.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
