Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama took a one-stroke lead after the second round of the PGA Tour opener on Friday after shooting back-to-back 65s at The Sentry in Hawaii.
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan plays during the second round of The Sentry golf tournament on Jan. 3, 2025, at the Plantation Course in Kapalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The 2021 Masters winner and the Paris Olympics bronze medalist climbed up a place at Kapalua after carding eight birdies without a bogey at par-73 Plantation Course. Collin Morikawa of the United States sits second, a shot ahead of four rivals tied for third, including Canada’s Corey Conners.
“There’s that sense (I could have done more), but I am satisfied. My putts weren’t going in toward the end, but they were good overall,” Matsuyama said.
Using a new putter from the opening round, Matsuyama remained convincing on the green as he needed just 27 putts on the day. After saving a par on the opening hole despite teeing off into the rough, the 32-year-old sank three straight birdies from No. 4 in a strong front nine.
Matsuyama nailed his putt from 10 meters on the 11th, and while his mistakes from around a meter out on the Nos. 14 and 18 stopped him from stretching the lead, he was hopeful he could maintain his current form.
“I’m playing well on this course for the first time in a while, and I don’t know why,” said Matsuyama, who finished third at the tournament in 2015 and second in 2017. “I need to improve my score to win, so I’ll do my best for it.”
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KAPALUA, Hawaii — Hideki Matsuyama got the new season off to a smashing start Sunday when he broke the PGA Tour record to