Talking of comebacks, there couldn’t have been a better rally that Hideki Matsuyama’s rearguard action on the back-9 of the Waialea Country Club to win the Sony Open. The man of the moment shared nine his thoughts:
Talk about the shot in the playoff.
Hideki Matsuyama: It was a perfect number for me for a cut 3-wood, 276 yards left to right, follow wind. I knew the green was soft enough to hold it, and I was able to pull it off.
Did you know it was good when you hit it?
Matsuyama: To be honest I didn’t even see it.
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It was a good shot.
Matsuyama: Everybody started cheering and I knew it was good.
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How did you feel about your chances at the turn when you were I think five strokes behind?
Matsuyama: Russell (Henley) was playing so beautifully the front nine, but at the turn I was thinking, He can’t keep this up, can he? I was able to birdie 10 and then a two-shot swing at 11 and then the game was on again.
On that note, the three-putt on 9, you’re not a guy who shows a lot emotion, but did that kind of light a fire for the back nine?
Matsuyama: Yeah, that three-putt at 9 did hurt. Again, I was five back but I just put my head down and I was playing pretty well; I was 3-under at the time, so I figured, well, if I could make a few more birdies maybe I can get back into it.
Hawaii and Japan, a lot of connections. What does it mean or how did it feel to see a lot of Japanese supporters, the support throughout this whole weekend and the tournament, especially on the 18th?
Matsuyama: Yeah, even at the turn when I was five back I could hear the cheers from my countrymen. That really spurred me on.
Just kind of a recap, how was your experience here on your time here in Hawaii?
Matsuyama: I had a great time. Got sunburnt. It was hot. But still very happy.
What did you think about the crowd coming all the way up to the 18th green for the finish in regulation?
Matsuyama: Yeah, I mean, Tiger (Woods) has had that experience many times, especially at the Tour Championship. Russell and I, it was our first time. I was surprised that all of a sudden there they were.
Recollection: Backed by putter, noisy crowd, Matsuyama makes a charge
Did it put more pressure on you, bother you?
Matsuyama: No.
Then in regulation, the drive you hit, did you have to tie your shoes to make sure they didn’t come off when you swung?
Matsuyama: (Smiling.) That’s probably the first swing of its type that I’ve had on the PGA TOUR up until now.
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But you felt like you had to do that?
Matsuyama: Yeah, I was playing for eagle there. I knew Russell would probably birdie and I needed eagle to tie.
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Hideki, in the months since you won the Masters, has your life changed at all?
Matsuyama: It has because the pressure of not winning a Major has gone.
What do you do now? How do you celebrate? Where are you going? Where do you play next?
Matsuyama: I’ll have my share of sake and we’ll see you all in San Diego at Torrey Pines.
PGA Tour
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