KAPALUA, Hawaii — Collin Morikawa had to judge how his tee shot would go on the first tee shot on the 16th hole at Kapalua, and it was almost perfect, 20 inches away from a sure birdie in his perfect match with Hideki. Matsuyama.
Matsuyama was about 20 meters away. He sent his lob wedge over the pin and used a combination of spin and slope to roll the shot past Morikawa’s ball and land 8 inches away.
That was the case all day Saturday at Sentry.
Matsuyama had a personal best with 11 birdies in his bogey-free round of 62, setting a 54-hole Plattation course record at 27-under 192.
What he got was a one-shot lead over Morikawa, who matched his 62 and everything else Matsuyama did on another windless day and scored a ridiculously low PGA Tour opener.
“Collin played well and I just went after him, it’s a good day,” said Matsuyama, the Japanese star with few names and many birdies.
Morikawa played so well early that it wasn’t until the sixth hole that he hit a shot he didn’t like, a wedge to 25 feet and a birdie chance that rounded the cup. In 54 holes, he missed only two greens.
“Today was really good. The couple shot each other a little bit, but for the most part the irons were average faces, they knew where they were going,” said Morikawa.
He briefly took the lead on the back nine with a 5-under start through five holes, including a 25-foot eagle putt on the fifth hole during a spectacular shooting display. Matsuyama caught him on the next hole and they were tight the rest of the way.
The low score was reminiscent of 2022, when Cameron Smith set the tournament record — and PGA Tour record tie — to 34-under 258. Conditions were unusually calm that year, and this year was no different.
There was no wind on the western edge of Maui, and the course of the Plantation was designed for a strong wind from any direction. This has been a target practice for the world’s best players, especially on a course with wide fairways on the PGA Tour.
Three years ago, Smith and Jon Rahm were tied for the five-shot lead. Matsuyama was one before Morikawa. Thomas Detry was next at 22-under 197, one ahead of Sungjae Im, who also had a 62.
The average score was 67.49, another record since the tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999.
Detry had a 65 and lost the spot.
“I shot 8-under today, but I didn’t feel like I shot 8-under,” he said. “Some courses where you shoot 8 under you really fall, ‘Oh, yeah, I played fake golf here.’ I felt like I was playing solid golf.”
Matsuyama and Morikawa kept stacking the bird and taking off. What separated them was the reachable par-4 14th, where Matsuyama holed 3 feet for birdie and Morikawa drove into the bunker, hit a 10-footer and missed the birdie putt.
Such a high level of golf brought value to every shot, and they were well worth the work. Morikawa talked about being a sinner, and with another player on his side in the same position, it created a show of lines.
“It was a lot of fun,” Matsuyama said, “but I’d like him to be free tomorrow.”
Morikawa worked on his swing during the offseason, and the biggest work may be on his attitude. He wants to pour everything into every shot, every day, every tournament and see where it leads.
That makes Sunday a great test.
“You look back at the greats, they did that,” said Morikawa. “You look back at Tiger, he does that every single week. I think if I ask myself, ‘Did I do that six years ago, every time?’ Maybe not, you know, It’s hard to do that, but that’s what I’m going into this year, ‘You know, I’ve got four days, let’s see what I can do.’
Morikawa got his chance at Kapalua. He had a six-goal lead over the past two years until he closed with a 72 and finished behind Rahm, who had a 63.
He played in the final group three times in major events last year — one behind Scottie Scheffler at the Masters, tied with Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship and four shots behind Scheffler at the Memorial.
Now he is trying to track down Matsuyama, who will win for the third time in the last ten months. That comes back to Morikawa’s focus, and reminds him of when he first became a student in 2019.
“I got seven chances to be released by sponsors, I didn’t know if I would get my card or not, you will put everything because you have that goal,” said Morikawa. “Well, I will give everything tomorrow because I intend to win.”
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