WINNING SCORE: 10-under-par, 278.

EQUIPMENT CHOICE:

DRIVER: Srixon ZX5 with 9.5° loft, fitted with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX shaft.

3-WOOD: TaylorMade SIM2 Titanium with 15° loft, with Graphite Design Tour AD TP 9 TX shaft.

IRONS: TaylorMade SIM UDI (3-iron), with True Temper Elevate Tour X100 shaft and Srixon Z-Forged (4-iron to pitching wedge), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

WEDGES: Cleveland RTX 4 Forged (52°-10°, 56°-8° and 60°-08°), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts.

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS.

BALL: Srixon Z-Star XV.

FINAL LEADERBOARD

EQUIPMENT NOTES:

  • Matsuyama is known to relentlessly test equipment at tournaments on the PGA Tour, although actual changes to his setup are quite rare. Drivers are regularly in the multiples in Hideki’s bag on the practise days, but he has clearly found something with Srixon’s ZX5 that has been consistently in his bag for much of this year. The 29-year-old is also fairly consistent with his shafts in his woods that have been almost unchanged throughout his career on Tour, while he plays a fairly soft shaft compared to most Tour players (S400) in his irons.
  • One of the other clubs regularly appearing like it may be rotated out is Matsuyama’s putter, but despite plenty of testing of various styles and head shapes, the Japanese superstar sticks solid with his Newport 2 shape putter from Scotty Cameron.

  • Only available in Japan, Matsuyama’s Cleveland RTX4 wedges are forged rather than the cast versions available in the rest of the world. Offering softer feel, Matsuyama’s wedges are actually bent to different lofts than those stamped on the head, including his lob wedge that carries 62° of loft, with the soles then ground to match his preferences.

  • Matsuyama’s win is the second for Srixon golf balls on the PGA Tour this season, while his victory is also the fourth consecutive Masters won with a different brand of golf ball.

QUOTE: “My nerves really didn’t start on the second nine, they started from the very start and didn’t finish till the last putt. ”– Hideki Matsuyama.