Fourteen inches. Hideki Matsuyama’s approach shots on the 15th and 16th holes at the renowned Riviera Country Club came to rest a combined 14 inches from the hole.
That figure alone can tell the story, but it is just one of several stunning statistics to emerge from Matsuyama’s victory at the Genesis Invitational, in which he shot a final-round 62—the lowest Sunday round at Riviera in a PGA Tour event.
There were signs that Matsuyama’s round was shaping up to be special from the get-go. The 2021 Masters champion opened with three consecutive birdies. That string included a chip-in on the 2nd, known as the hardest par-4 on the George Thomas design. He followed with a six steady pars, still maintaining a low profile on the leaderboard which was topped by Patrick Cantlay, Luke List, Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris.
