Hero World Challenge produced a thriller at Albany, The Bahamas, as Hideki Matsuyama edged out Alex Noren in a dramatic play-off to claim his second career title at the prestigious invitational.
The 33-year-old Japanese star entered the final round with momentum stacked against him three shots behind overnight leader Sepp Straka and two back of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was chasing a third straight win in the event hosted by Tiger Woods.
Straka set the early pace with four birdies on the front nine to tighten his grip on the lead. But Matsuyama flipped the script with a surgical mid-round surge, firing five birdies in a seven-hole stretch capped by a sensational hole-out eagle at the 10th to draw level. A Straka bogey at the 11th opened the door, and Matsuyama walked through with a birdie at the 13th before closing with five composed pars for a closing 64 at 22-under-par.
Just as it looked settled, Noren staged a late charge, birdieing three of his final four holes to force a sudden-death play-off. Returning to the 18th, Matsuyama delivered under pressure, draining the winning birdie putt after Noren could not match him securing his second Hero World Challenge title after his first win in 2016.
“Tiger told me to shoot 10 under today,” Matsuyama said. “I didn’t reach that number, but I’m very happy to win this week.” His victory adds to his season-opening success at The Sentry.
Despite the narrow defeat, Noren kept it real. “I’m super proud. Just being in this field is an honour what this tournament represents, and everything done for charity through Tiger’s foundation it’s special to perform here.”
Straka signed for a 68 to finish third at 21 under, while Scheffler and J.J. Spaun shared fourth on 20 under. The leaderboard delivered elite energy till the last putt pure championship vibes.
