Hideki Matsuyama eyes repeat win at The Genesis Invitational
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Written by Chuah Choo Chiang
Hideki Matsuyama set records en route to a stunning victory at The Genesis Invitational in 2024, but he still wasn’t fully satisfied. He had missed a customary photo with the tournament host, who happens to be Tiger Woods.
The 32-year-old Japanese star won at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, closing with a 9-under 62, the lowest final round by a winner, and broke a tie with South Korea’s K.J. Choi for most PGA TOUR victories by an Asian golfer following his ninth career title.
"Obviously I'm looking forward to defending my title this week, and I've heard some rumors that Tiger might be here this Sunday, so hopefully I get that trophy and get that picture with him this week,” Matsuyama said in his pre-tournament press conference Tuesday at Torrey Pines.
In order to achieve his goal, Matsuyama will need to overcome a different test and a stellar field, with the third Signature Event of the season being played at Torrey Pines Golf Course South Course in San Diego this week due to the tragic wildfires which hit Los Angeles last month. While he did not get his photo with Woods, who had to withdraw from the second round last year due to flu-like symptoms, Matsuyama said he met the golf legend at the Masters two months later.
“He gave me a big smile and congratulated me," Matsuyama said. "That kind of made it extra special, that winning at Riviera.
“Obviously before the fire, I was really looking forward to coming back to Riviera, but with the situation, a bit disappointed I wasn't able to come back. (However) feel like I had a really good preparation in the two days, so really looking forward to this week.”
Behind the scenes with Hideki Matsuyama after his win at The Genesis
Victory at Riviera led to a resurgence in form as Matsuyama ended a frustrating two-year winless drought and subsequently claimed further wins at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August and The Sentry in Hawaii to start the 2025 FedExCup season. His most recent triumph saw him establish a new 72-hole winning record of 35-under at The Plantation Course at Kapalua.
Matsuyama, currently ranked No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking, believes that staying healthy and injury free has been key to his recent success.
“I feel like I don't have much injury right now, and I've been able to practice more compared to the last two seasons.," said the Japanese star, who is currently third on the FedExCup standings. "I think that's maybe the key to me being consistent like this.
“Two years ago or before that, I had this injury where I wasn't able to practice as much as I wished. Let's say I wanted to practice for one hour, but because of that, I was only able to practice for 15 minutes. I feel like my body being healthy is the key of being in good condition right now."
The South Course will not be an unfamiliar test for Matsuyama as it is the host venue for the Farmers Insurance Open, which he has played in every edition since 2014. He holds two top 10s at the famed venue, including a T3 in 2019 (his best) and a T32 at the event three weeks ago.
“It seems like it's going to rain this week, and the greens, they were soft today,” said Matsuyama.
The 72-man field will showcase 46 of the world’s top-50 golfers including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 3 Rory McIlroy, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago, and other Asian stars including the Korean quartet of Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Byeong Hun An and Si Woo Kim.
Woods, winner of 82 PGA TOUR titles, withdrew from the tournament earlier this week as he continues to mourn the loss of his mother, Kultida, who passed away on Feb. 4.
