Tiger Woods wishes Hideki Matsuyama on winning the Genesis Invitational with a record-breaking round at Riviera
Tiger Woods was not present at Riviera to present Hideki Matsuyama with the Genesis Invitational championship trophy. However, the 'Big Cat' did not miss a detail and made public his admiration for the victory of the Japanese player.
Woods, the host of The Genesis Invitational 2024 could not make it to the end of the tournament due to illness. However, the icon congratulated the winner, Matsuyama, immediately after his victory, posting the following on his X account (formerly Twitter):
"Congratulations to @hidekiofficial_on an incredible win at @thegenesisinv. I was watching all day and seeing a record breaking 62 and coming from six shots back is truly special."
Hideki Matsuyama came back from a six-stroke deficit, posting a fourth round of 9-under-62. It is the lowest fourth-round score ever recorded by a Genesis Invitational winner.
This is Matsuyama's ninth career PGA Tour victory. His most recent win came at the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii. Prior to his victory at The Genesis Invitational 2024, Matsuyama had not reached the top 10 since The PLAYERS Championship 2023 (fifth).
Tiger Woods had to withdraw from the tournament after playing only six holes of the second round. Hours after his withdrawal, he was diagnosed with influenza, from which he is recovering at his home in Jupiter, Florida.
A look at Hideki Matsuyama's performance at the Genesis Invitational 2024
Hideki Matsuyama played all four rounds of the Genesis Invitational with scores in the 60s and with excellent progress. His scores for the first three rounds were 69, 68, and 68.
The Japanese left his best for last and closed with a round of 62 to leave behind Patrick Cantlay, Will Zalatoris, and Xander Schauffele, who were at the top of the leaderboard at the beginning of the day.
Matsuyama's overall performance included one eagle, 20 birdies, and only three bogeys. The Japanese was the best in the field in Stroke Gained: total of 13,284, while he was also among the best in strokes gained with his putting (4,298) and around the green (5,831).