Hideki Matsuyama Holds Off Alex Noren In Playoff To Win Hero World Challenge

Hideki Matsuyama saw off Alex Noren in a playoff to win the Hero World Challenge after hauling himself to the top of the leaderboard earlier in the day.

At the halfway stage of the tournament, Matsuyama was tied for the lead, prompting him to reflect on a year that began with victory at The Sentry but, until that point, hadn’t led to another win.

He stopped short of saying he could end that winless run at Albany, but admitted he was looking to finish well over the final 36 holes.

By the end of play on Saturday, his prospects of adding to his 2016 win at the Tiger Woods-hosted tournament weren’t looking as rosy, with the Japanese star in a tie for third with Noren, three behind leader Sepp Straka.

As ominous was the sight of Scottie Scheffler in second, just one behind Straka, in his quest for his third successive title at the event.

However, Matsuyama fought brilliantly on Sunday and, despite needing a playoff thanks to playing partner Noren’s long birdie putt on the 18th^, he wasn’t to be denied, closing out victory on the first extra hole.

The day began with Straka seemingly firmly in the driving seat, with four birdies over the front nine to ease away from the pack.

That position looked even more dominant given Scheffler’s less impressive form, seeing a one-shot deficit become three at the turn.

Further on, Matsuyama was making progress, going five under on the front nine, before he drew level with Straka in spectacular fashion at the 10th to move to 21 under.

The 2021 Masters champion made a hole-out eagle from 116 yards as a good round threatened to turn into something great. Soon after, Straka’s bogey at the 11th gave Matsuyama the solo lead.

In the meantime, Scheffler’s challenge hit the rocks with successive bogeys at the 11th and 12th^,leading to some uncharacteristic shows of frustration.

He wasn’t quite done there, with a birdie at the 14th and an eagle at the 15th briefly putting him back into the reckoning, but that was as good as it got for the World No.1 as a run of pars brought his challenge to a close on 20 under.

As for Straka, he couldn’t match his impeccable front nine with a similar outcome after the turn, with two birdies and two bogeys ensuring he finished one better than Scheffler, but not enough to catch the penultimate pairing of Matsuyama and Noren.

This Swede had remained in the picture throughout. After beginning the day level with Matsuyama, he was five under for the day after the 12th, leaving him just two behind the leader.

Matsuyama then holed a 30-foot putt at the 13th to move three clear of Noren, but the Swede came back again with successive birdies at the 15th and 16th.

After Matsuyama finished with a par for a 64 to leave him on 22 under, Noren still had work to do, needing to make his 18-foot birdie putt at the 18th to tie the lead. He achieved it, leaving the pair to fight it out in a playoff.

They returned to the par-4 18th, but while they went toe to toe as far as the green, it was advantage Matsuyama as he left his approach within feet of the hole.

After Noren failed to replicate his success at the same hole minutes earlier, Matsuyama rolled in his birdie putt to end the year as it started, with a victory and the perfect platform to kick on further in 2026.