Hideki Matsuyama has record-setting start to the PGA Tour season with victory at Kapalua

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama opened the new season with a record performance, though it was hard to tell from his emotions. He was a machine at The Sentry, with 35 holes at birdie or better to finish at 35-under par, both PGA Tour records.

He only broke into a wide smile when his caddie, Shota Hayafuji, spoke to him on the side of the 18th green Sunday at Kapalua after one final birdie gave Matsuyama the scoring records and a three-shot victory over Collin Morikawa.

“Otoshidama arigato gozaimasu.”

It translates roughly to thanks for a traditional Japanese gift to children in the new year to wish them luck and prosperity. Matsuyama won $3.6 million from his 11th career victory.

There was little luck involved over four days on a Plantation course that was vulnerable as ever without hardly any wind for which it was built. Matsuyama made only one bogey over the final 59 holes to finish at 35-under 257.

Staked to a one-shot lead going into the final round, Matsuyama holed out from 107 yards for eagle on the third hole, expanded the lead when Morikawa had consecutive three-putts — one for par, another for bogey — and answered a late challenge with another wedge to 4 feet.

He closed with an 8-under 65 and started the new season in ways Matsuyama would not have imagined.

The 32-year-old Japanese star had only a few days of practice leading into the season opener because he was not feeling well, most recently with sores in his mouth. He decided on a whim to switch to a more center-shafted putter he received a few days after Christmas.

“I used the putter for the first here,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter. Asked why that style of putter worked so well for him, he added, “I'm not sure, but it went in.”

The last one was for the record book. Matsuyama wasn't entirely sure that 34 under had been the record for 72 holes. The tournament already was in the bag.

“That last putt, it felt like if I make it, then it’s going to be the record,” he said. “So I’m so happy that it went in.”

He extended his arm and lightly pumped his first when it fell. His 35 under broke by one the record to par Cameron Smith set at Kapalua in 2022. It also was his 35th hole of birdie or better, breaking the record set by Smith in 2022 and matched by Sungjae Im at Kapalua last year.

“He was matching me yesterday shot-for-shot,” said Morikawa, alluding to both posting a 62 in the third round that set them apart from the field.

“Today he just never let up,” Morikawa said. “Then you get to the third hole and the guy holes it. I just knew I had to be on top of everything, and just kind of let a few slip on that front nine. Played a good back nine, but to win on a course like this, conditions like this, you've got to have it for 72 (holes). And I had it for 65.”

Morikawa closed with a 67 to finish three behind at 32-under 260.

Matsuyama has three PGA Tour victories in the last 10 months, all of them against strong fields — Riviera last February, the first FedEx Cup playoff event in August. He moves to No. 5 in the world ranking.

Matsuyama began to build some separation when he holed a sand wedge from 107 yards on the third hole, the ball landing in front of the pin, taking one hop and disappearing in the cup for eagle.

Matsuyama saw the crowd cheer from behind the elevated green, widened his eyes and pursed his lips and tapped fists with his caddie. And that was that. It was a methodical game, a methodical week.

Morikawa, determined to give it his best shot, stayed within two until he had a three-putt par on the fifth hole after Matsuyama hit a superb chip from behind the green to tap-in range. Then, Morikawa had another three-putt from 60 feet, this one for bogey on the sixth.

That put him four shots behind and he did well to stay in the game until the final few holes. Morikawa birdied the 14th and 15th holes — Matsuyama missed birdie chances from 6 feet and 10 feet — to close to within two shots with three to play.

Matsuyama effectively ended it with a wedge to 4 feet on the 16th for birdie.

The Sentry is a signature event with a $20 million purse, and the $3.6 million payoff to Matsuyama put him over $60 million for his career.

Im closed with a 65 to finish alone in third, worth $1.36 million.

Matsuyama is the seventh player to win both Hawaii tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule. Justin Thomas (2017) and Ernie Els (2003) are the only players to win both in the same year. Matsuyama will have a chance to join them next week in the Sony Open on Oahu, where he won three years ago.

Taylor Pendrith delivered the most unlikely shot of the tournament, holing out his 6-iron from 200 yards on the par-5 fifth for the first albatross on the Plantation course since this season-opening tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999.

“As soon as I hit it I knew it was going to be really good,” Pendrith said. “Didn't expect it to go in. Didn't see it go in. But the fans that were up by the green went crazy so, yeah, it was a really good bonus.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Collin Morikawa watches his shot on the fourth hole during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, reacts after winning The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, reacts after sinking a putt on the 18th hole to win The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, holds the champions trophy after the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sungjae Im hits on the fourth hole during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Collin Morikawa watches his shot on the ninth hole during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, hits off the 11th tee during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, watches his tee shot on the 13th hole during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, reacts after missing birdie on the fourth green during the final round of The Sentry golf event, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Matt York)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — After three straight seasons of long playoff runs, the San Francisco 49ers are packing up and heading home early for a change.

A season that started with contract disputes that kept stars out of training camp, was a rough one until the end with the 49ers enduring several off-field tragedies, injuries to key players and inconsistent play that left one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites playing out the string the final few weeks of a 6-11 campaign.

“Our standards for this organization are significantly higher,” tight end George Kittle said Monday. “Our expectations for ourselves are higher. Our goals were higher. We didn’t achieve any of these. So it’s disappointing."

The 49ers never looked quite like a contender this season, starting when Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams held out of training camp practices looking for new contracts.

Then rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest in San Francisco a week before the opener, sidelining him for the first half of the season.

Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey missed the first half of the season with Achilles tendinitis and then hurt his knee in his fourth game back and was shut down for the rest of the season.

Aiyuk, Williams, Javon Hargrave, Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Jordan Mason are among the other key players who missed significant time with injuries.

There was also personal tragedy with Williams' wife giving birth to a stillborn son and cornerback Charvarius Ward's 1-year-old daughter dying.

The play on the field also wasn't up to the usual standard as many of the players who played a big part in the team's trip to the Super Bowl last season weren't able to match that play in 2024.

“We didn’t do it. It stings,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “But more than anything, how I’m looking at it and a lot of guys are is we have some time away to reflect on it and come back hungry, ready to do what it takes to get back on track of playing Niner football and winning and being excellent across the board.”

After finishing fourth in MVP voting in his first full season as a starter in 2023, Purdy was far less productive this season. He took steps to become a more vocal leader and showed off even more mobility to extend plays, but wasn't nearly as efficient as a passer. His passer rating dropped nearly 17 points to 96.1 and he had only 20 TD passes and 12 INTs on the season. He also came up short in several late-game scenarios when the Niners had a chance for a comeback win.

San Francisco has excelled defensively the previous five seasons, ranking first in yards per play allowed, fourth in points allowed and seventh in takeaways. The Niners had significant drops in all three areas in the first season under coordinator Nick Sorensen. The issues were particularly glaring in the second half of the season when San Francisco had the fewest takeaways (two) and allowed the third-most points per game (28.2) over the final nine games.

“It’s just a lack of execution, lack of takeaways, lack of everything, honestly,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “It wasn’t even close to the standard of what I’ve known.”

One of the few bright spots for San Francisco has been the play of the rookie class. After two years of almost no impact from the draft class outside of Purdy, the Niners found several key contributors.

Third-rounder Dominick Puni was a day one starter at right guard and looks poised to hold down that job for years to come. Second-round cornerback Renardo Green, fourth-round safety Malik Mustapha and fourth-round running back Isaac Guerendo all made key contributions and should have key roles next season.

Pearsall's production was limited after missing time, but he finished strong with 14 catches for 210 yards and two TDs the last two games.

A recurring issue all season has been the play of San Francisco's special teams. The team has been beaten on two fake punts, allowed a blocked punt, gave up a kickoff return TD and had three turnovers on returns. That led to the decision to fire special teams coordinator Brian Schneider, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't made an announcement.

A more concerning question revolves around kicker Jake Moody, who was picked in the third round of the 2023 draft. His missed a league-high 10 field goals was 5 for 14 on FGs from at least 40 yards since returning from a high ankle sprain in Week 10.

The first immediate question of the offseason will be about Purdy's contract as he is now eligible to negotiate an extension from his rookie deal that has one year left and has been paying him about $1 million a year.

The next deal for Purdy will be far richer with nine quarterbacks in the league having contracts worth at least $50 million a year.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner answers questions after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) and quarterback Joshua Dobbs (5) celebrate a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan argues a call with an official during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) walks off the field after a loss to the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)