Hideki Matsuyama (-27) or Collin Morikawa (-26): one of the two should claim victory this Sunday at the The Sentry, the first tournament of 2025 on the PGA Tour. What a way to stake their claim by the Japanese and the Californian in the third round, both carding 62, eleven under for the day, leaving them just one shot shy of the Plantation course record, that 61 held by four players (Justin Rose, Matt Jones, Jon Rahm, and Justin Thomas).
What a head-to-head. What a showdown. What a display. In Kapalua, however, it’s much better not to rule out that in the final round someone could come in, sign that record 61, and make things more complicated for them. But, anyway, tomorrow they start with a five and four-shot lead over their nearest challenger, Thomas Detry (-22), and such a margin should suffice for them to contest the victory between the two of them.
For Morikawa, who today even let some good birdie chances slip away, all this sounds familiar. It’s not the first time he’s excelled at golf on this course after 54 holes and then been left disappointed. It happened to him in 2021. And it especially happened in 2023, going into the final round with a total of -24 and a six-shot lead over the next player, only to fall to an inspired and overwhelming Jon Rahm, who also took advantage, it must be said, of the American’s collapse to snatch the victory.
Matsuyama isn’t taking his foot off the pedal in this exaggerated birdie paradise that is the Plantation course. If the wind doesn’t blow, these guys devour it (this Saturday it didn’t blow much and no hurricanes are expected tomorrow either). The Japanese player needed to match the PGA Tour record (since 1983) for the lowest score under par in 54 holes to start tomorrow as the sole leader. That, and breaking the record for this tournament in three rounds, which was held by Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm in that madness of 2022, the year when the Australian and the Spaniard reached -26 in three rounds and the former would go on to set the best winning score at the Plantation course, that extraterrestrial -34… A record that, given the circumstances, Matsuyama has within reach.
That’s how it is around here: you play six holes in a row at par and they pass you on the right and the left. As spectacular and eye-catching as it is excessive. What scoring stress they all suffer. Today Viktor Hovland (-12) carded five under and lost positions on the leaderboard. And Xander Schauffele (-11) started an impossible comeback with a score of seven under for the day and it only earned him eleven positions. Last year up to 28 players reached or exceeded -20 in the four rounds. We’ll see how many there are in 2025…
