Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa lit up the course at Kapalua on Saturday, turning The Sentry into what’s looking like a two-man showdown in Hawaii. Both players put up incredible 11-under 62s, with shots so precise it looked like they were playing a video game.
Matsuyama nearly made history. He had a chance to tie the course record with a long eagle putt on the 18th hole, but settled for a birdie that kept him one shot ahead of Morikawa.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Hideki Matsuyama
264
64
$55,422,165
The day was full of highlight-reel moments.
Morikawa came out blazing, going 5-under in his first five holes, including a beautiful 25-foot eagle putt that briefly gave him the lead. But Matsuyama wasn’t about to let him run away with it.
For Matsuyama, this was a career day – he’s never made 11 birdies in a PGA Tour round before. His three-day total of 27-under is a new record at Kapalua’s Plantation course.
The conditions were perfect for scoring. There was barely a breath of wind on Maui’s western coast, turning a course built for brutal winds into something like a dart board for these pros.
The scoring was so hot that Thomas Detry shot an impressive 8-under 65 and actually lost ground to the leaders.
“I shot 8 under today, but didn’t really feel like I shot 8 under,” Detry said. “On other courses, that’s an amazing round. Here, it just felt like steady golf.”
The average score was 67.49 – the lowest since the tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999.
The duel between Matsuyama and Morikawa reached its peak late in the round. On the 16th hole, Morikawa stuck his wedge shot to just 20 inches from the cup. Not to be outdone, Matsuyama responded by dropping his approach even closer – just 8 inches away.
Matsuyama leads at -27, with Morikawa right on his heels. Thomas Detry sits five shots back at -22, followed by Sungjae Im, who also fired a 62.
With one round to go, it’s shaping up to be a Sunday shootout in paradise.
