Hideki Matsuyama lost a five-stroke lead through four holes at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but then made two birdies at the end to win by two strokes in a tense match.
The event is part of the PGA Tour’s season-ending playoffs, with only the top 50 players in the overall standings advancing to next week’s BMW Championship and guaranteed spots in all of next year’s $20 million signature events.
England’s Justin Rose finished the week in a tie for 22nd place at six under par after a final round of 71 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, but was unfortunately one of the players who missed out, finishing in 55th place.
The 50th and final spot was awarded to U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who was expected to be right on the edge of the cut for much of Sunday.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland (tied for second), Nick Dunlap (tied for fifth) and Erik Cole (tied for 18th) all had impressive final rounds that propelled them into the top 50. Cole’s impressive 63 put him in the running for the lowest round of the day, tied with Xander Schauffele and Max Glaserman at seven under par.
Meanwhile, Tom Kim, Mackenzie Hughes and Jake Knapp all dropped out of the top 50, while Rose remained in 55th place, dropping five places.
Kim looked poised to advance until he needed two strokes to get out of a greenside bunker on the par-5 16th hole, started with a bogey, double bogey and double bogey and finished just outside the cut in 51st place.
Meanwhile, atop the leaderboard at FedEx St. Jude Golf Club, Matsuyama finished at 17 under par, two strokes ahead of Schauffele and Viktor Hovland, despite a major threat on the back nine.
Matsuyama held a five-stroke lead Sunday — the largest lead of his career after 54 holes — but faded in the closing stages.
After playing the first 11 holes in 2 under par, he had a bogey, par, bogey, double bogey sequence from the 12th to the 15th holes, allowing Schauffele and Hovland to briefly overtake him.
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Schauffele was nine strokes behind Matsuyama at 8 under par at the start of the round and made a comeback without a bogey, nearly chipping in from the green on the 18th hole to make the final hole even tougher for Matsuyama.
But Matsuyama made consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, the most difficult holes on the course, to ultimately take the victory.
It was Matsuyama’s 10th PGA Tour victory and came after he was forced to return to Japan after a robbery in London prior to the tournament when his caddie and coach lost their passports.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (66) finished in fourth place at 14 under par.
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