Hideki Matsuyama overcame a dramatic challenge to secure a narrow two-shot victory in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, despite witnessing a five-shot lead disappear in just four holes. The tournament is a crucial part of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Playoffs, where only the top 50 players in the standings qualify for the BMW Championship next week, along with access to prestigious $20 million events in the upcoming season.
England’s Justin Rose fell short of qualification, finishing 55th after a final round of 71 left him tied for 22nd at TPC Southwind, with a total score of six under. The 50th and final spot in the playoffs went to US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who was precariously placed just outside the cut-off for much of Sunday.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland, alongside Nick Dunlap and Eric Cole, surged into the top 50 after strong performances, with Cole delivering an outstanding 63 to tie for the joint-low round of seven under par. On the other hand, Tom Kim, Mackenzie Hughes, and Jake Knapp dropped out of contention, while Rose remained five spots away from qualification.
Kim’s hopes were dashed after a disastrous finish that included a bogey, double-bogey, and another double-bogey, resulting from a challenging greenside bunker situation on the par-five 16th, leaving him in 51st place.
At the top of the leaderboard, Matsuyama finished with a score of 17 under, edging past Schauffele and Hovland by two strokes despite a tense back nine. Although he started with an impressive five-stroke lead, Matsuyama faced struggles, allowing his competitors to briefly take the lead after a challenging stretch from holes 12 through 15.
Xander Schauffele, starting the day at eight under and nine strokes behind Matsuyama, finished with a potent bogey-free round, nearly complicating the final hole for Matsuyama with a close chip-in attempt. However, Matsuyama secured his victory with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, the latter of which was the toughest hole on the course.
This triumph marks Matsuyama’s 10th career title on the PGA Tour and follows an unusual pre-tournament incident in London, where he was affected by a robbery that left his caddie and coach without passports, necessitating their return to Japan. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler concluded the tournament in fourth place with a score of 14 under.
