Hideki Matsuyama’s caddie reportedly made $400,000 at The Genesis Invitational 2024
Hideki Matsuyama's caddie has reportedly made $400,000 after the golfer's win at the Genesis Invitational 2024.
Matsuyama rallied from behind on Sunday to win the Genesis Invitational 2024. He shot 9-under 62 in the final round to aggregate at 17-under, beating Luke List and Will Zalatoris by three strokes. This was the PGA Tour's third Signature event of the season and had an overall purse size of $20 million.
The Japanese star received $4 million for his ninth win on the PGA Tour. In general, caddies typically earn a 10 percent share for a victory, seven percent for securing a top-10 finish, and five percent for all other outcomes. As per this, Matsuyama's caddie, Shota Hayafuji, earned $400,000 for the win. This is the highest sum he has ever received as a caddie.
Shota Hayafuji came into the news when he bowed down on the 18th green after Matsyama claimed the 2021 Masters Championship as a sign of respect for Augusta National.
On Sunday, when Hayafuji's boss had just won his first title in over two years, he was sitting by the practice green, where he was smoking a vape kind of device while waiting for the final pair to finish their round at Riviera.
The photograph was shared by Golf.com's Claire Rogers and went viral on X.
Hayafuji has himself played golf and has his profile registered on the China Tour. As per his profile, he carded a 5-over 77 in the last round he played and also scored an ace during the round that also comprised four birdies, a double bogey, a triple bogey, and a quadruple bogey.
How many titles have Hideki Matsuyama and Shota Hayafuji won together?
Shota Hayafuji has been caddying Hideki Matsuyama since 2019 and has won four titles since then. The four wins also include the 2021 Masters, the only major the golfer has won in his career. Here are all four wins by Hideki Matsuyama and Shota Hayafuji:
- 2021: Masters Tournament, Zozo Championship
- 2022: Sony Open in Hawaii
- 2024: Genesis Invitational
After winning the Genesis Invitational, his ninth title, Matsuyama has overtaken K.J. Choi as the winningest player of Asian descent on the PGA Tour. Here are his other five wins on the tour:
- 2014: Memorial Tournament
- 2016: Waste Management Phoenix Open
- 2016: WGC-HSBC Champions
- 2017: Waste Management Phoenix Open (2)
- 2017: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Hideki Matsuyama has also won eight titles on the Japan Tour. Here are all his wins on the Japan Tour:
- 2011: Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (as an amateur)
- 2013: Tsuruya Open
- 2013: Diamond Cup Golf
- 2013: Fujisankei Classic
- 2013: Casio World Open
- 2014: Dunlop Phoenix Tournament
- 2016: Japan Open Golf Championship
- 2016: Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (2)