KAPALUA, Hawaii — Collin Morikawa had to judge his shot on the first rough 16th hole at Kapalua and the result was near-perfect, as he matched up with Hideki ), he made a birdie from 20 inches away.
Pine Mountain was about 20 yards away. He hit his wedge over the pin and combined spin and tilt to roll the ball past Morikawa and stop it 8 inches away.
It was like this all day Saturday at Sentinel Station.
Matsuyama had 11 birdies in a bogey-free 62 to set a 54-hole record at Plantation Course and finish at 27-under 192.
The only thing he could gain was a one-stroke advantage over Morikawa, who shot 62, and Matsuyama, who shot almost everything else on another day of the PGA Tour opener with almost no wind and ridiculously low scores.
“Colin played well and I just followed him. It was a great day,” said Matsuyama, the Japanese star who talks little but makes many birdies.
Morikawa started playing very well until he hit a shot he didn't like on the sixth hole, hitting a wedge to 25 feet and having a birdie chance on the edge of the cup. In 54 holes, he missed just two greens.
“It was really, really good today. There were a couple shots that were a little loose, but most of the irons were on the center face and knew where they were going,” Morikawa said.
He briefly took the lead on the front nine, starting at 5 under through five holes, including a 25-foot eagle putt on the fifth hole when he showed off his striking prowess. Matsuyama caught him on the next hole and they were locked in a stalemate the rest of the way.
The low score was reminiscent of 2022, when Cameron Smith set a tournament record and the PGA Tour record with a score of 34-under 258. Calm, this year isn’t much different.
There is almost no wind on the west side of Maui, and the Plantation Course is built to handle strong winds from all directions. It becomes target practice for the best players in the world, especially on a course with the widest fairways on the PGA Tour.
Three years ago, Smith was tied for the lead with Jon Rahm, five strokes ahead of everyone else. Matsuyama leads Morikawa. Thomas Detry shot 197, 22 under, ahead of Sungjae Im, who also shot 62.
The average score was 67.49, another record since the event moved to Kapalua in 1999.
Detry shot a 65 and lost.
“I shot 8 under today, but I didn't really feel like I was 8 under,” he said. “At other courses, when you shoot 8 under, you really feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, I played unreal golf here.’ I just felt like I played some really consistent golf. golf ball.
Matsuyama and Morikawa kept making birdies and pulling away. What separated them was the par-4 14th, where Matsuyama chipped to 3 feet for birdie, while Morikawa drove into the bunker and blasted to 10 feet, missing the birdie putt.
Such a high level of golf makes every shot count and they are up to the task. Morikawa talked about being in the zone and being in the same spot with another player next to him, which creates quite a few streak plays.
“It's fun,” Matsuyama said, “but I hope he takes it easy tomorrow.”
Morikawa has been working on his swing in the offseason, but the bigger job may be his attitude. He wants to put everything he has into every at-bat, every day, every game and see how it turns out.
That makes Sunday a big test.
“You look back at the greats and that's what they did,” Morikawa said. “You look back at Tiger and he does it every week. I think if I asked myself, 'Did I do this every time for the last six years?' Probably not, you know, but it's hard, but that's who I am. This year it's about, 'You know, I've got four days, let's see what I can do.
Morikawa had his chance at Kapalua. Two years ago, he led by six shots until he shot a 72 to finish behind Rahm, who shot a 63.
Last year, he finished in the final group three times at major events — one stroke behind Scotty Schaeffler at the Masters, tied with Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship and behind Schaeffer at the Memorial. Four strokes.
Now he's chasing down Matsuyama, who is looking for his third win in the past 10 months. This comes back to Morikawa's focus, reminding him of 2019, when he first turned pro.
“I had seven chances to get sponsor exemptions and didn't know if I was going to get my card, but you have to put everything out there because you have this goal,” Morikawa said. “Well, I'll give it my all tomorrow because my goal is to win.”
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