The First Cut crew discusses a masterclass on Sunday from Hideki Matsuyama at the Genesis Invitational.

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ABOUT THE SHOW: The First Cut brings you everything you need to know in the world of professional golf. Nearly every day Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Mark Immelman, Greg DuCharme, Sia Nejad and Patrick McDonald bring you the best analysis in the game. From DFS to betting previews, interviews and recaps… everything golf is on the table when you listen to The First Cut.

This event with about seven holes to go was five wide five tied for the lead it was going to be chaos it was probably going to end in a playoff it did really neither of those things and we got a runaway winner that winner Hadi Matsuyama and KP I’m gonna swing this

The other direction and we’re going to start here with you because from that moment especially when Hideki made the turn he took over uh Bird’s on 10 11 and 12 he threw darts literal darts to inches on both 15 and 16 he added another on 17 for good measure when you

Add it all up it is a 62 it’s one of the best rounds we’ve ever seen at Riviera and just we could dissect this so many ways it was some of the best Matsuyama stuff we’ve ever seen yeah you know At first I felt like Jim N

Brought up uh what was it Bridgestone or Firestone in uh 2017 was that what he wanted there yeah 17 I was actually and Shane bacon brought up the 2021 third round of the 2021 Masters I was actually thinking 2017 Us open at Aaron Hills remember when he

Shot what did he shoot on Sunday 60 something something nasty on Sunday uh to kind of back door a he got within four of of kka and that’s I I felt like that’s a little bit how it was going to go like he was going to be get within

Two or three of a of a zalot Taurus or a I don’t know somebody else who was up there and he just he just never backed off I mean he gained eight and a half Strokes of the field which we talking about this on HQ Rick that’s a g you’re

Kind of getting into round of the year type territory there that’s not it the round of the year will eventually like at when we’re talking on December 31st it’ll be 10 Strokes gain 10 and a half nine and a half something like that but eight and a half in this in this

Situation at Riv with like the best players in the world trying to win a golf tournament that that feels like a round of the Year type round and uh it was awesome and then he and then of course he he said I left a few out there

Which was just the the the chef’s kiss at the end midle sick sick stuff so I’ve got aund or excuse me 9910 rounds of Hideki in my database his best round ever he gained 9.6 at the 2017 PGA round two he gained uh round three of the

Players in 2016 he gained 8.59 this one slots in there after that and then the Bridgestone round in 2017 was 8.4 that Master’s round round three was seven point for um but yeah this is this is some high-end stuff and Greg uh it’s his ninth PGA Tour Victory and the way

That he does this like he has this ability to hit one shot and kill you which is like he did it on 15 that could have been enough he did it again on 16 he did it in the playoff at Sony like he’s just he’s just capable of killing you with one swing

Well see this is the fascinating thing about Hideki um because this round today he doesn’t have a you know it’s easy to look at 15 and 16 and say oh Hideki caught fire with his irons today but he didn’t necessarily do that I mean the birdies at one and two or come from

Short game right he chips in on two yeah up and down at one uh three makes a long putt 10 is an up and down 11 is an up and down for birdie and he makes a 50-footer at 12 so those those first six birdies are really all coming from short

Game but now he gets himself into contention and when the moment arises he goes to his you know Old Faithful reliable iron shot which may have been a mish hit I I’m not sure if he understands what a good swing feels like because he hit both of those inside of a

Foot and it was kind of one-handed finishes on both of them so it was the ability to step up in the moment and take the tournament once the chance was given to him and I think that’s the thing that we want so badly for Xander

And a can’t L to do like go and take it and that’s exactly what hii did today I mean Rick’s being a little hyperbolic there but he also gained two strokes on those two shots which at the end of a tournament Two Strokes is like a ton um well he won he went

It’s a big deal yeah it it is a big difference also as as not everyone else is floundering Patrick you know Luke list he darts out early and starts to come back to the field we already talked about k l and Xander never really getting the momentum

Going will zal tourus is hanging on by a thread and and while all that’s happening Hideki is just sprinting away I mean it was just so different where I mean I don’t I’m not sure missed a shot I don’t care what he has to say I’m not

Sh all day no and I mean to Kyle’s earlier point he kind of just sometimes does this you look at those scores 61 at Firestone the back 930 out of the rain delay in the third round 62 today at the Sony Open when he uh when he buried

Russell Henley in that playoff with the three-wood that was a 6363 weekend and you could even go back to his last top five five finish on tour he kind of raced to the Finish Line at the Players Championship uh last year as well how about first round of the players in 2020

Oh exactly The One That Got Away the 2020 Players Championship winner I forgot about that one so I mean you went at courses like TPC Riv mirfield Village Firestone Augusta National based on just like Pure heaters gasoline fueled and I think my question for the group is

Is his best golf as good as it gets on the PGA tour I think a lot of people always say when Rory’s on Rory is his best golf is the best but I think I’d throw Hideki in that conversation too what’s the what’s the window of time are

You talking about for a day a week a month a year a day like a heater like 18 holes yeah like if this are mini tour events 18 hole Sprint we’re Monday qualifying yeah who do you trust in the Monday Q full on I think I think I’d

Throw one sort of like obvious favorite J I’d throw JT in there like just blackout like I don’t know what’s happening type stuff and then one sort of uh underrated guy that I think about a lot that is not obvious is web Simpson like he he gets he gets

Hot like just insane and it doesn’t it doesn’t like he can’t sustain it like a JT or a Rory can for for a for an entire tournament but he had I mean remember when he came back from Co or when the tour came back from Co and and he won

What did he win uh Harbor yeah yeah he had a couple rounds that I was like oh my gosh this is this is nuts the guys who are capable of throwing darts and putting you can gain three with the putter in the same day that you gain like two and a half on

Approach it’s those are the like cam young has has done it right you know um John Rah obviously Justin Thomas is a good one too but like that ability to just go absolutely like I’m not gonna miss a putt all day and I’m gonna give myself 18 looks at

It Josh says morawa in the chat he can get blazing hot with the putter on upon occasion it feels like his is more like I just hit it to 12 feet 12 feet like for 11 months in a row right yeah yeah I mean he’s done it

For three years I feel like Hideki hits it to like four inches like 18 holes in a row and then he does it again 18 months later yeah right seriously um zooming out a little bit here guys so I mentioned it nine nine wins on the PGA tour um Patrick you you

Were kind of rattling off the the places yeah I think you gave him sass I’ll give him Scottdale twice I’ll give him I’ll give him Augusta National I’ll give him mirfield Village and obviously Riviera amongst others this is Hall of Fame oh it’s really impressive and you

Don’t even add in uh the historic Hero World Challenge also uh eight wins on the Japan tour I believe so worldwide that’s what 18 victories he’s still 31 he not eligible for the Hall of Fame yet got to get one more right got to get 20

Wins or I mean if they would just give him the 2020 players he would be eligible but another major or a players or two more professional wins would make him eligible okay so I think is it you talk 20 win 20 professional wins or two majors and they include the players in

That but he already has 18 because of the Japanese ones yes got it okay got it but I I think when you when you think about Hideki and Greg and I were kind of talking about back injuries last night with the names at the top and Tiger

Woods it’s hard not to talk about health I mean he looks good right now for all we know but I know he’s speed training a lot trying to add some distance to that driver for for all we know in a couple weeks it sucks to say or or a couple

Months I mean he could be tweak he could have tweaked his back for all we know so if he stays healthy Maybe um yeah he he’ll do this in a couple years again for sure he had this great quote I think it was last year Patrick where he said today I feel great

Tomorrow who knows he kind of alluded to that in his interview with Amanda today too the same thing uh I was gonna say something about Hideki uh what did I have here in my notes he’s only 31 Bor oh it’s crazy he dropped off last

Year right I I think it I think it I think it went under the radar a little bit maybe injury related I don’t know but he he he was a pretty consistent like 1.4 to Two Strokes gain guy and he dropped under one last year which is

Like still a very good golfer but it’s not it’s not Hideki level and so I think this is a real um moment for him of like oh no I’m I’m still like one of the guys I’m still like one of the top guys you know and we

Talked about this on HQ Rick but to do it I mean it’s one thing to be like cam Smith and you do it for two years or 18 months to do it for 10 years and to win you know one like he’s won some real

Tourn like Memorial and Riv and the m i mean like big- Time stuff and to do it for that long at that level I just I think that’s I think that’s extraordinary I think I think a lot of guys can get hot for 18 months not a lot

But some I don’t think there’s a ton of guys out there that find the center of the pace for 10 straight years one these are just PGA Tour wins one in 2014 two in 2016 two in 17 two in 21 one in 22 and now one in 2024 for Hideki mato

1 Comment

  1. Well done Hideki… great round and amazing clutch shots at 15 & 16… Glad it was anyone but the grumpiest, uninteresting robot who ever played golf Cantalay!… What ever happened to the "characters" of golf?… We now have Homa, Thomas, Speith, Cantlay etc… Boring old, emotionless, uninteresting farts!… You guys are walking round a field whacking a ball and getting paid millions $$$ at least smile to the fans who paid good money to applaud you!… The psycologist have taken over their minds… 🤯

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