Reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama storms to five-shot win on home soil at the Zozo Championship in Japan… completing the same double as Tiger Woods to cap off a famous season
- Hideki Matsuyama won the Zozo Championship in his native country
- He trailed Cameron Tringale with eight holes to play but produced superb finish
- Americans Triangle and Brendan both took second spot in Japan
Tiger Woods marked the PGA Tour’s first event in Japan by following up his Masters win in 2019 with victory later that year in the inaugural Zozo Championship.
Now, to the delight of the many thousands in attendance, local hero Hideki Matsuyama has completed the same double with his first win on home soil for five years yesterday to put the seal on a historic season.
‘It was one of my biggest goals to win here in Japan during my year as the Masters champion and to emulate Tiger as well. That makes me very happy,’ said the 29-year-old, whose victory at Augusta National in April saw him become the first Asian golfer to claim the green jacket.
Local hero Hideki Matsuyama won the Zozo Chamoionship in his native Japan
Joint runner-up with fellow American Brendan Steele was Cameron Tringale, who took his career earnings comfortably through the $15million mark (£10.9m) — the most in history for a man without a win to his name.
To be fair, the 34-year-old Californian, playing in his 314th event, made a far better fist of it than the five-stroke margin of victory would suggest. Leading by a stroke at the turn, he could do little as Matsuyama turned on the afterburners with three birdies in five holes.
Trailing by two with a couple of holes to play, Tringale then took gambles that failed to pay off, stumbling to successive bogeys. His opponent, by stark contrast, played two glorious shots at the last to 12ft and rapped home the eagle putt.
American Brendan Steele came joint-second alongside compatriot Cameron Tringale
Two Englishmen made the long trip and both notched top-seven finishes.
Matt Wallace was an encouraging tied fourth for his best finish since March, while Tommy Fleetwood had to settle for seventh after stumbling with a bogey, double bogey run from the 15th that denied him a top-three spot.
Alongside him, both on the course and the leaderboard, was Open champion Collin Morikawa, but Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele enjoyed a less fruitful return to Japan, finishing tied 28th.
Englishman Matt Wallace came joint fourth, his best finish since March
On the European Tour, the final round of the Mallorca Open was played out against the sad news of the untimely death from cancer of Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed, who won the 2010 Italian Open during a decade on the circuit. He was just 49 and leaves a wife and two children.
Appropriately, it was a couple of Scandinavians in Jeff Winther from Denmark and Sebastian Soderberg from Sweden who fought out a Sunday duel, with the former shooting 70 to prevail by a stroke for his first victory on tour. Leading Brit was in-form Englishman Laurie Canter, who shot a fine 64 for joint fifth place.
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