WGC-HSBC Champions:
Overnight leader Hideki Matsuyama spun a bogey-free 6-under-par 33-33=66 in the final round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions to post 23-under 265, good for a SEVEN-shot romp over runners-up Henrik Stenson and Daniel Berger and his third PGA TOUR title in his 85th career start (80 as a pro.)
This is Matsuyama’s first win since the 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open back in February, where he came from three back with a final-round 4-under 67 and defeated Rickie Fowler on the fourth hole of sudden death.
Last year, the 24-year-old withdrew (WD) during R3 due to an ankle injury he suffered in R4 the week prior at the CIMB Classic. He also WD’d after a first-round 71 in 2014 and was T41 in 2015 on 3-over 291 (74-69-73-75).
Last week at the CIMB, Matsuyama was T4 thru 54 holes, eventually finishing solo second out of the penultimate threesome on 20-under 268 (69-64-69-66). That’s three straight top-5 finishes now dating back to the TOUR Championship (solo 5th) and four straight if you throw in his 3-shot win two weeks ago at the Japan Golf Open.
With a Strength of Field rating of 638, Matsuyama banks 70.00 world-ranking points. His runner-up at the CIMB bumped him three spots to a then-career-high 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and he jumps another four places this week to 6th.
For the week, he was No. 1 in birdies (29), par-4 scoring (3.70), par-5 scoring (4.31) and putts per GIR at 1.537 (see full stats below), and played his final 45 holes in blemish-free 15-under.
Matsuyama was in a three-way T3 after a first-round 66 (10 birdies, 4 bogeys), led outright by three at the midpoint after a 65 (9 birdies, 2 bogeys), and led by three thru 54 holes following a bogey-free 68 (4 birdies).
It was his first career 36-hole lead/co-lead and third 54-hole lead/co-lead, previously 0-for-2 (2014 DEAN & DELUCA (T10); 2015 Hyundai TOC (T3).
Matsuyama deposits 550 FedExCup (FEC) points for the WGC win, moving from T4 in the FEC standings to a career-best 1st, bumping last week’s CIMB winner Justin Thomas to No. 2. (Thomas finished T23 this week on 4-under 284 (71-70-72-71), a distant 19 shots adrift).
Interestingly enough, Matsuyama and Thomas both had winning aggregates of 23-under 265.
This was the 12th overall playing of the HSBC, eighth as a WGC and seventh at Sheshan International Golf Club. The 7,261-yard par-72 layout (36-36) played under par in rounds 1, 3 and 4 with a cumulative scoring average of 71.904. NOTE: For a second straight week (CIMB), preferred lies were in effect for all four rounds.
Matsuyama, a pre-tourney 20/1 outright, wins his first WGC title in his 14th WGC appearance and is the first Asian player to win a WGC. Before this week, he hadn’t recorded a top-10 finish (in stroke play), with a previous best of T12 at the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Winner’s Weekly Stats (ranking of 78 players):
Note: N/A = No ShotLink data in use at WGC-HSBC
Birdies: 29 (1st) **same as last week’s winner Justin Thomas (CIMB)
Bogeys: 6 (T3)
Par-3 Scoring: 3.00 (T27)
Par-4 Scoring: 3.70 (1st)
Par-5 Scoring: 4.31 (1st)
Driving Distance: N/A
Driving Accuracy: 31/56 (T43) at 55.36 percent
Greens in Regulation: 54/72 (T10) at 75.00 percent
Proximity to Hole: N/A
Putts per GIR: 1.537 (1st)
Total Putts: 106 (T2); by round: 24-27-28-27
Scrambling: 12/18 (T9) at 66.67 percent
Golf Channel Perfect Picks:
Golf Channel’s game is scheduled to begin with the Tournament of Champions Jan. 5-8, 2017.
Draw:
Limited-field no-cut event (78 players)
Yahoo! Low Rounds:
Like Golf Channel, the Yahoo! game is expected to begin with the Tournament of Champions.
That said, here were the low rounds:
R1: Rikard Karlberg (64)
R2: Hideki Matsuyama (65)
R3: Adam Scott (64)
R4: Henrik Stenson; Matthew Fitzpatrick (65)
What We Learned:
Last season, the pre-tourney odds-favorite(s) won just TWICE in 46 events: Jordan Spieth at the Hyundai TOC and the DEAN & DELUCA – NONE so far this season through four events.
Rory McIlroy: The World No. 3 and reigning FEC champion was the pre-tourney fave at 9/2 outright. In his first action since his playoff win five weeks ago at the TOUR Championship, he finished in a two-way T4 on 15-under 273 (71-66-70-66).
Dustin Johnson: The 2014 champ was the top-ranked player at OWGR No. 2 and is the reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year. In his first start since finishing T6 at the TOUR Championship, he posted a T35 on 1-under 287 (74-74-70-69).
In total, 40 of the top 50 in OWGR were in the field and 20 of the top 25. Notable absences: No. 1 Jason Day, No. 4 Jordan Spieth, No. 12 Justin Rose, No. 15 Phil Mickelson and No. 22 Brandt Snedeker.
The lowest-ranked player to finish in the top 10 was No. 82 Ross Fisher. After finishing T3 last year, the Englishman recorded a T6 on 14-under 274 (69-68-69-68). Other than Matsuyama, he was the ONLY other player to post ALL four rounds in the 60s.
Adam Scott: Not inclusive of a missed cut at the Japan Open, the World No. 6’s consecutive top-10 streak on TOUR ended at five with a T14 on 9-under 279 (69-80-64-66).
Henrik Stenson: Playing out of the fourth-to-last threesome, the World No. 5 tied the low round of the day with a bogey-free 7-under 65, bumping four places into a two-way T2 on 16-under 272 (69-71-67-65).
This was his first start since T41 at the Deutsche Bank Championship, sitting out the BMW Championship to rest an injury in preparation for the Ryder Cup. The 40-year-old would eventually finish 36th in the FEC standings last season.
Stenson’s runner-up was his ninth in 158 career events, SIXTH in his last 31 TOUR starts. Of course, he was also silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Games. With Masters champ Danny Willett finishing in 75th place on 14-over 302 (74-78-75-75), the Swede overtakes him for the top spot in the Race to Dubai rankings and nudges one spot to 4th in OWGR. His career high is 2nd after the 2015 Shell Houston Open.
Daniel Berger: Playing out of the final threesome, the World No. 38 carved out a four-birdie one-bogey 69 to finish in a two-way T2 on 16-under 272 (66-70-67-69).
It’s his third career runner-up in 60 career starts, first since solo 2nd at the 2015 BMW Championship. The 23-year-old, No. 1 in scrambling for the week at 80.95 percent (17/21), arrived off a T51 at the CIMB. He leaps 14 places to a career-high 28th in OWGR and is a career-high 6th in the FEC standings.
Russell Knox: For a second straight week (CIMB), the 31-year-old played out of the final threesome on Sunday. Last week, he was T2 thru 54 holes but labored to a 2-over 74 to fall eight places to T10.
This week, the defending champ began the finale three shy of Matsuyama in solo 2nd and once again backed up with a 2-over 74, dropping seven spots to T9. Of the six players that comprised the final two groups, Knox’s 74 was the only over-par round.
Jason Kokrak: Of the 78 players in the field, 21 were making their tournament debut and 13 of those were making their first WGC start. The 31-year-old and World No. 90 was the best of the bunch with a T16 on 7-under 281 (70-73-67-71).
Sanderson Farms Championship:
Making his Sanderson Farms Championship debut, PGA TOUR rookie and World No. 448 Cody Gribble erased a one-shot deficit in the final round with a bogey-free 7-under-par 34-31=65 and at 20-under 268, bested a trio of runners-up by four shots, including 54-hole co-leaders Luke List and Chris Kirk.
The 26-year-old, a pre-tourney 80/1 outright, claims his first title in his eighth career TOUR event, second as a member. His previous best was T8 in his last start two weeks ago in Napa. (In 49 career Web.com Tour events, Gribble’s best was T2 back in May.)
The University of Texas alum (2013) began the final frame on 13-under after opening in 73, week-tying-low 63 and 67. Playing out of the final threesome with List and Kirk, he birdied holes 5 and 8 to turn 2-under, now T2 but one shy of Graham DeLaet (who came home in 3-over 39 for T8).
The Dallas native and resident stormed to the title with an inward 31, circling five, including three straight on Nos. 15-17. For the week, he tallied a field-leading 26 birdies against four bogeys and a double and was also No. 1 in SG: Putting (8.800) and putts per GIR (1.558). Of the six players who comprised the final two groups on Sunday, Gribble was the ONLY player to post a sub-70 lap and his 65 was 6.566 strokes better than the field average.
With a Strength of Field rating of only 21, Gribble collected 24.00 world-ranking points but still catapulted 243 spots from OWGR 448 to a career-high 205. As an opposite-field event, he deposits 300 FEC points, moving from T28 to a career-high 4th.
Greg Owen: Playing this season on conditional status, the 44-year-old carded a 4-under-par 35-33=68 in the final round for a 72-hole tally of 16-under 272, up four places into a three-way T2, four in arrears to Gribble.
Owen, who finished 150th in the FEC standings last season, was making his 250th career start and is still chasing his first title. This is his third career runner-up, first since the 2015 FedEx St. Jude, and came in his first start of the 2016-17 season.
The Englishman, playing out of the third-to-last threesome, outpaced two bogeys with six circles, including three birdie-2s. He was No.1 for the week in SG: Approach-the-Green at 6.815 though T61 (of 76) in SG: Around-the-Green (-1.046). Owen jumps 60 places to OWGR No. 218. His career high is 49th after the 2006 Shell Houston Open.
Luke List: The World No. 329 and overnight co-leader sleepwalked to a 2-under-par 35-35=70 in the final round for a three-way T2 on 16-under 272, down one spot into three-way T2.
The 31-year-old began the final frame on 14-under, co-leading with Kirk who completed the final threesome. This was his first 54-hole lead/co-lead in his 64th career TOUR start (61 as a pro) and third lead after ANY round.
The Washington state native co-led the 2016 RBC Canadian Open after 18 and 36 holes, respectively, before finishing T14. Fresh off a career-best 65 in R3, he conjured just a pitch-in eagle and one birdie (from 45 inches) on 11 greens in regulation against a bogey-6 at the third. The Jupiter, Florida, resident’s T2 is easily a career best however, supplanting a T6 at the 2016 CareerBuilder, and was No. 1 in driving distance (335.2) and 1st in SG: Around-the-Green (5.316).
List leaps 94 spots to OWGR No. 235.
Chris Kirk: The overnight co-leader and past champ pieced together a bogey-free 2-under-par 36-34=70 to conclude his fifth appearance on 16-under 272, down one place into a three-way T2, four adrift.
The 31-year-old won the first (of four) TOUR titles at this event in 2011 as the 54-hole leader when it was known as the Viking Classic (Annandale GC). He added top 10s in 2012 (T10) and 2013 (T9) at the former venue, so this is his fourth straight top-10 finish.
The University of Georgia alum began the finale sharing a one-shot lead with List, one clear of Gribble. He mustered just seven (of 14) fairways and 10 greens in regulation, posting a pedestrian 1.900 putts per GIR.
Kirk, who was the top-ranked player in the field at OWGR No. 76, opened with 10 straight pars before circling the 11th and 15th, both from inside of six feet. Chasing his first win since the 2015 Crowne Plaza, Kirk settles for a fourth career runner-up in his 167th career start and drops to 2-for-5 when leading co-leading thru 54 holes. He bumps eight places to 68th in OWGR.
Patton Kizzire: The 30-year-old was the pre-tourney odds-fave (12/1) and arrived off a career-tying-best 2nd-place finish at the Safeway Open, where he was the 54-hole leader by one. He departed early this week, missing the cut by three shots on 1-over 70-75=145.
Up Next:
The TOUR heads to Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at the 7,255-yard par-71 TPC Summerlin.
Smylie Kaufman is the defending champion, coming from SEVEN back in the final round with a 10-under 61 to beat fellow rookie Kizzire and five other players by a shot (Cameron Tringale, Jason Bohn, Alex Cejka, Kevin Na and 54-hole leader Brett Stegmaier- also a rookie).
Stay tuned to this space for all the latest player news and analysis as the TOUR prepares for the fifth (of seven) tournaments this fall prior to taking a seven-week break for the holidays.
