WiretoWire: Hideki Matsuyama triumphs with record-breaking win in Maui

Hideki Matsuyama earned his 11th career PGA TOUR title in a birdie bonanza at The Sentry, and it came in record-setting fashion. Matsuyama carded 35-under 257 at The Plantation Course at Kapalua, three strokes clear of Collin Morikawa, to set a PGA TOUR record for the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par. The prior four lowest 72-hole totals all came at The Sentry, as Kapalua’s generous fairways and pure greens offer a scorable start to a new calendar year on TOUR. Matsuyama, 32, took full advantage with 33 birdies and two eagles – including a 107-yard hole-out from the fairway – against just two bogeys for the week, holding a one-stroke advantage into Sunday and sealing the deal with a closing 8-under 65. The Japan native won a Signature Event for the second straight year (2024 The Genesis Invitational), and he won on Maui with a new putter, a Scotty Cameron 009M Center Shaft Tour Prototype, ranking third at The Sentry in Strokes Gained: Putting. It marked a vast improvement from 2024, where he ranked 121st on TOUR in that statistic. Matsuyama historically goes as his putter goes, and if his performance on the greens at Kapalua is any indication for the season ahead, perhaps 2025 could be the year of Hideki. “I have goals within myself, and I'm not going to say it right here, but there (is) unfinished business that I have set for myself that I still am striving to get to,” Matsuyama said in his winner’s press conference. He’s on his way.

Waialae welcomes Opening Drive

The PGA TOUR’s Opening Drive continues with the first Full-Field Event of the 2025 FedExCup season at the Sony Open in Hawaii, contested at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. Opening Drive is a two-week kick-off to the TOUR’s schedule, showcasing an elite field on a historic venue with a creative design and scenic views. Waialae Country Club, one of the TOUR’s longest-tenured host venues, is a par 70 and plays to 7,044 yards. The winner in Honolulu will take home 500 FedExCup points.

Sign up for the TOUR's new fantasy game ahead of Opening Drive

The PGA TOUR announced a new version of its popular PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game, and there’s still time to sign up and play during the 2025 FedExCup season. Refreshed with an updated design and enhanced features, "PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by PGA TOUR Superstore" offers an exciting new opportunity for fans to discover or deepen their engagement with the PGA TOUR. Click to sign up now!

TGL takes over in prime time

The inaugural season of the TGL presented by SoFi kicks off Tuesday when New York Golf Club squares off against The Bay Golf Club, and the premiere match features two star-studded rosters. Each competition day will feature at least one match between two teams, and each team will play three of its four golfers. For a full look at the TGL schedule, click here.

Video of the week

Mic check

“I saw somebody else using it and I thought, ‘Oh, this looks good,’ so I had them make one, and I'm using it this week.” – Hideki Matsuyama on the putter switch that propelled him to victory at The Sentry.

By the numbers

2 – It didn’t take long for the first albatross of the 2025 PGA TOUR season: Taylor Pendrith holed his second shot at The Plantation Course at Kapalua’s par-5 fifth hole in The Sentry’s final round, knocking in a 6-iron from 203 yards for a “2.”

144 –The Korn Ferry Tour season begins at The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island on Sunday, Jan. 12. The fields for the Tour’s first two events, which also include The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, were recently expanded from 132 to 144 competitors

45 – Cameron Kuchar, the teenage son of TOUR pro Matt Kuchar, is one of 45 players advancing to the final qualifier Monday for the Sony Open in Hawaii. The elder Kuchar, who’s set to make his 20th start at Honolulu this week, won the Sony Open in 2019.