Hideki Matsuyama Wins Genesis Invitational By Three Shots After Stunning Final Round

Hello and welcome to our live updates from the 2024 Genesis Invitational final round.

It's been a hell of a week so far, with the brief return of Tiger Woods before he withdrew after six holes of round two. We've also seen Jordan Spieth disqualified, but we're left with a superb leaderboard heading into Sunday's action.

Cantlay hasn't won in 17 months, Schauffele hasn't won in 18 months and Zalatoris' only PGA Tour victory came 17 months ago, too.

Two groups left to tee off

The final group of leader Patrick Cantlay (-14), and good friend Xander Schauffele (-12), is set to tee off in about 15 minutes. Will Zalatoris (-12) and Luke List (-11) are on the first tee and about to get their final round going.

Scoring is available out there, with a few players making their move so far. Canadian Adam Hadwin, who started the day seven shots behind Cantlay, has rushed out to three straight birdies to start his day to quickly get himself into the mix at -10. Max Homa made the turn with a tidy three-under 32 to move up 10 spots to a tie for 10th at -8. 

Day and English start with birdies

Jason Day, looking good in his Malbon vest today, and Harris English get their first rounds off to a strong start with tap-in birdies on the par 5 first to move to -11. Back on the first tee, Zalatoris and List are both in good positions on the fairway. Cantlay and Schauffele will be up next. 

Cantlay and Schauffele are off, List eagles No.1

So the final round is fully underway, as both Cantlay and Schauffele start with solid tee shots. With the easiest pin of the week so far on the first hole, there have been over 30 birdies and two eagles on No.1 today. One of those eagles is List, who now moves to second at -13 after nailing his 20 footer for a three. Zalatoris can't convert his eagle putt and taps in for a bird to join playing partner List at T2 moments later. 

Fast starts for Matsuyama and English

Birdies galore for the late tee offs. Hideki Matsuyama starts with three-straight birdies, while English goes birdie-birdie for his first two holes. Back on the first, Cantlay and Schauffele both miss the green in two on the par 5 to leave longer birdie putts than they would've liked. Should be a fascinating final round if the early scoring is anything to go by.

Cantlay's lead cut to one early

Both Cantlay and Schauffele can't convert their birdie putts to start with disappointing pars on the first. It's a big boost for the chasing field, with many already going low early in their rounds. 

One of those who started well was Luke List, who is a shot back of Cantlay after an eagle on the first. Here was his gorgeous approach that set it up:

Shaky start for Cantlay and Schauffele as List ties the lead

Cantlay misses the green on the second, leaving a tricky up and down. Schauffele also misjudges his approach slightly to leave a long birdie putt up the hill. Meanwhile, List is catching fire as he sinks a birdie on three to join Cantlay at the top.

Leaderboard reshuffle

Cantlay (-14) and Schauffele (-12) both start their rounds with par-par, meaning the chasing pack have now caught up. List is tied for the lead, while Zalatoris is in solo third at -13 after two birdies in his first three holes. Adam Hadwin is also slowly moving up, with a four-under start after seven to sit at -11. 

Cantlay chasing first win since 2022

Cantlay, who seems to be in contention pretty regularly on tour, somehow hasn't won since the BMW Championship in 2022. Not the start he wanted so far today as he has already lost his two-shot advantage after three pars to start. His best friend on tour, Schauffele, also starts steady at even par for the day. 

What a par save!

After duffing his chip on his second shot on the par 3 fourth, Harris English nails it on his second go for a great par save. 

We have a new leader

Luke List is on fire as he birdies the fifth to leap frog Cantlay to -15. He's four-under through five holes, and most importantly, seems to be rolling it really well this week (he's second in SG: putting in the field). Cantlay has four pars in a row to start his round to stay at -14. Elsewhere, Hadwin has made the biggest move so far with five birdies in eight holes, moving up seven places to T3 at -12. 

Cantlay's slow start continues

Cantlay makes an error off the tee on the par 4 fifth and gets stuck in the deep stuff. He can't hack it out and misses the green way short. He manages to get up and down nicely, but hasn't given himself any real birdie opportunities yet. His playing partner Schauffele has just dropped his first shot of the day to fall back to -11.

Ahead on the seventh, List makes his first big mistake and loses his drive into the bunker. But it's no issue, as his second is a beauty to leave a 12-footer for birdie. He's feeling it.

List extends his lead

After that superb approach from the bunker, List makes no mistake from about 12 or so feet for yet another birdie to move to -16. That's five-under through seven holes to lead Cantlay by two shots. 

Cantlay and Schauffele can't get going at all, with both missing their best birdie opportunities of the day after good tee shots into the par 3 sixth. Meanwhile, Zalatoris gets a shot back on the seventh after bogeying No.5 to get back to solo third at -13. 

Get to know Luke List a little better

World No.96 Luke List is probably the least known name on the leaderboard, but he is without a doubt the hottest player in the field right now. The 39-year-old American made it to the signature events this year thanks to his victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2023, his second win on tour. You can read more facts about List here.

List finally misses a putt

List shows he's human as he misses a very makeable 10-foot birdie putt on the eighth. He still leads by two. Back on the seventh, the birdie drought continues for Cantlay and Schauffele. That final pairing is one-over for the day so far. 

On the 18th, Rory McIlroy, who's had an up and down tournament after a poor first day, has carded a one-under 70 for his final round. He currently sits in a tie for 23rd at -5. Not his week.

Here comes Hadwin

Hadwin has sunk his sixth birdie of the day on the 11th to join Zalatoris at -13, three shots back of List. Matsuyama is also lurking at -12 after his fourth birdie at 10. Both Hadwin and Matsuyama have clean scorecards so far. 

List holds his nerve

After hammering his birdie putt way past on the ninth, List manages to make a big par save from about five feet to make the turn at -16 thanks to a five-under 30. Cantlay remains even par for the day after seven holes at -14, while Zalatoris and a red-hot Hadwin are chasing at -13. 

McIlroy has just joined the CBS broadcast after concluding his tournament. As expected, he sounds a bit disappointed with his week.

List drops his first shot of the day

List's second nine starts with a bogey after losing his tee shot way right on the drivable par 4 10th. He was forced to play it safe from the bunker and left himself an 88-foot birdie putt, which he couldn't get close. He pushed his 15-foot par putt to the right and falls back to -15. 

Hideki creeping up the leaderboard

Matsuyama is now only two shots back after a birdie on 11, his fifth of the day. He joins Hadwin and Zalatoris at -13. The final group of Cantlay and Schauffele have now made the turn and are one over as a pair – Cantlay is even after nine pars, while Schauffele is one over. 

Hideki heats up

After starting the front nine with three birdies in a row, Matsuyama now has three-straight birdies to kick off his second nine. All of a sudden, he's only one shot behind List at -14. Back on the 11th, Zalatoris also birdies to join Matsuyama and Cantlay on -14. The back nine is more difficult, so it could be anyone's tournament from here.

Cantlay drops back

Cantlay is struggling and drops his first shot of the round at 10 to fall back to -13. At one stage in the tournament he was leading by five shots and looked like he would run away with it. Just can't seem to get it going out there today. 

On the same hole, Schauffele gets his first birdie of the day - and the first birdie of the pairing today. He's now three back at -12.

Xander fights back

Schauffele has put himself right back in contention after holing it out from the greenside bunker for an eagle on the par 5 11th. After going 3-3 to start his back nine, he has just gained four shots on leader List, who went 5-5 on holes 10 and 11. Cantlay follows with a birdie on 11 to join Schauffele, Matsuyama and Zalatoris on -14. 

Five-way tie for the lead as List bogeys

List has cooled off in the back nine and can only manage a bogey on 12. That's three straight fives for List, meaning we now have a five-way tie for the lead. On -14 are: List, Cantlay, Schauffele, Matsuyama and Zalatoris. It's going down to the wire.

Watch: Xander's big eagle from the bunker

Here's video of Schauffele's hole out from the bunker on 11. He's now tied for the lead after trailing by as much as four shots. 

Schauffele gives a shot right back

Schauffele can't back up his birdie-eagle start to his back nine and immediately drops a shot on the 12th to fall back to -13. Cantlay stays steady with a par right behind him. 

Way up on 17, Tom Hoge is putting together a strong back nine and sinks his fifth birdie of the day to move up to -12. His run will be too late as he heads to 18, but a nice finish to his tournament. 

Zalatoris takes the lead

What a story this would be. Zalatoris, still in the middle of his comeback from back surgery last year, has the solo lead at -15 after a birdie on 13. He's been slowly regaining his form after finishing last at the Hero by nine strokes late last year. He spoke about his comeback, his subtle swing change and more earlier this week, which you can read about here.

Matsuyama joins Zalatoris at the top

Matsuyama taps in for a birdie on the 15th to join Zalatoris at the top of the leaderboard at -15. And he's just hit it close on the par 3 16th. Cantlay and List are both still on -14, while Schauffele and Hadwin are at -13.

Matsuyama hits a beauty to take solo lead

Matsuyama has hit one of the shots of the day at the par 3 16th to within three feet for a tap-in birdie - but did he mean it? A cheeky smile from the Masters champ suggest maybe not. Regardless, it gives him the solo lead at -16. Meanwhile, Zalatoris makes a good par save at 14 to stay at -15. 

Bogeys for Cantlay and Schauffele

Both Cantlay and Schauffele fall back after bogeys on the par 4 13th. Cantlay (-13) is now three shots behind leader Matsuyama, while Schauffele (-12) is a shot back. They've still have holes to play with, but it's not looking like either of their days. 

Matsuyama's to lose?

Watch the two approaches that got Matsuyama to the top of the leaderboard below. He has now almost hit the par 5 17th green in two, and could soon extend his lead. 

Adam Hadwin cards six-under 65

Hadwin is in the clubhouse at -13 after one of the best rounds of the day. He shot seven birdies and just one bogey for a six-under 65. He currently sits in a tie for fourth with Cantlay, who obviously has a few holes to go.

Matsuyama leads by two

Matsuyama has three birdies in a row again, for the third time today. Perhaps most impressive was that his last three birdies were all tap-ins from under five feet. He's now nine-under through 17 to sit at -17. And he could soon go even further ahead as Zalatoris is in trouble on 15 and has a long par putt. 

List struggles in the back nine

List couldn't back up his impressive front nine as he falls back down the leaderboard after three bogeys on the back. His playing partner Zalatoris can't convert his long par putt, which means Matsuyama now leads by three shots. 

Matsuyama needs a birdie to tie the course record

Matsuyama is the firm favorite now to win for the first time on tour since the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii. After a perfect tee shot on 18, he is safely on the green and has a lengthy putt to tie the course record at Riviera. What a round. He currently leads by three over Zalatoris, who has about 20 feet for a much-needed birdie on 16. 

Matsuyama finishes on -17

Matsuyama is close to being crowned the champion at Riviera for the first time. He doesn't quite tie the course record, but taps in his par putt on 18 to finish on an incredible nine-under 62, including a 30 on the difficult back nine. He has surely done enough. Zalatoris is the only man who can catch him - he'll need birdie-eagle on his final two holes.

Matsuyama's sensational round

Matsuyama was six shots back to start the day and is now in the clubhouse with a three-shot lead. One of the greatest rounds at Riviera of all time. Unless Zalatoris pulls off a miracle, Matsuyama will win his ninth PGA Tour title. 

Elsewhere, Cantlay and Schauffele are both on -12 with two holes to go. Just not their day today. 

Zalatoris falls out of it

Zalatoris only manages a par on 17, meaning Matsuyama will soon be crowned champion of the Genesis Invitational. Zalatoris needed at least an eagle to have any chance of catching Matsuyama. List has birdied 17 to join Zalatoris at -14. 

Final groups finish their rounds

No one is taking the title from Matsuyama, who has the clubhouse lead at -17. Harris English has just carded a two-under 69 to currently sit in a tie for fifth at -13. Cantlay (-12), Schauffele (-12), Zalatoris (-14) and List (-14) are the only players left out on the course.

Zalatoris and List finish with pars

So it wasn't to be for Zalatoris and List, as the American duo finished with pars on the 18th to both end on -14, three shots behind Matsuyama. List, who held the lead after a strong front nine, carded a three-under 68, while Zalatoris finished with a 69. 

Cantlay finishes with a birdie

Cantlay ends his disappointing round with a birdie, for a one-over 72 to finish on -13. Schaufelle misses his short birdie putt at the last to also finish on -13. Not the way they wanted to end their week, but a solid T4 for the duo. It means Matsuyama officially wins by three shots.

Matsuyama wins Genesis Invitational

So that ends today's coverage of the Genesis Invitational. What a finish for Matsuyama. Here's the putt that secured his superb nine-under 62: