USA Today via Reuters
January 16, 2022; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Hideki Matsuyama acknowledges the crowd after making his putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
January 16, 2022; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Hideki Matsuyama acknowledges the crowd after making his putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Hideki Matsuyama is quite famous for his golf swing in the golfing world. He takes a pause in his backswing before striking the ball in his downswing. Matsuyama is a seven-time PGA Tour winner and the first Japanese professional golfer to win a major championship. He won the 2021 Masters tournament.
USA Today via Reuters
January 16, 2022; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Hideki Matsuyama poses with the trophy during the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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The latest win for Hideki came at the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii. Hideki won last time on the PGA Tour at the ZOZO Championship but opened his 2022 season with an emphatic win.
Hideki Matsuyama hits an unbelievable shot in the playoff
Russell Henley had a two-shot lead after the third round. Russell had a hot front nine with a birdie on the second hole, three consecutive birdies on the sixth, seventh, and the eighth, and an eagle on the ninth hole and had a five-shot lead at the turn. However, Hideki had just three birdies in the opening nine holes and had a mountain to climb.
Watch this story: 2022 Sony Open prize money breakdown.
But Henley could not keep his form in the back nine with a bogey on the 12th hole. He had no birdies on the remaining seven holes. As a result, Hideki had a chance, and he capitalized on the chance by two consecutive birdies on the 10th and the 11th hole. Matsuyama made four birdies on the back nine to tie Russell on the top of the leaderboard with a total score of 23- under par. The Japanese golfer forced a playoff between himself and Henley, which started with them playing the 18th hole once again. Hideki hit a blistering drive onto the fairway and then hit the most beautiful three-wood from 277-yard onto the putting surface, leaving him a couple of feet to make an eagle. He made the putt and become the 2022 Sony Open winner, beating Henley in the first playoff hole.
UNREAL SHOT. 😳
Hideki delivers a beauty from 277 yards out on the first playoff hole! pic.twitter.com/qT8ByiAVrm
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 17, 2022
Japan gets its first golf major winner
Winning at Augusta is a dream of every professional golfer and Hideki is one of the latest players to accomplish his dream. He won the 2021 Masters tournament with an overall score of 10- under par. He defeated W. Zalatoris by one stroke and created history by becoming the first Japanese professional golfer to win a major.
Read more: Who is Hideki Matsuyama’s Caddie? All You Need to Know About Shota Hayafuji
Who will win the 2022 Masters Tournament? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.
