Collin Morikawa had to decide how his ball would come out of the first cut of rough on the 16th hole at Kapalua, and it turned out almost perfectly, landing just 20 inches away for an easy birdie in his exciting match with Hideki Matsuyama.
Matsuyama was about 20 yards closer to the hole. He used his lob wedge and hit the ball over the pin, letting a mix of spin and the slope of the green cause the ball to roll past Morikawa’s ball and stop just 8 inches away.
That’s how it went all day Saturday at The Sentry.
Matsuyama set a personal best with 11 birdies in his round of 62, which was bogey-free. His score of 27-under 192 set the 54-hole record at the Plantation course.
Despite that great round, he only had a one-shot lead over Morikawa, who also shot 62 and kept up with Matsuyama through nearly every hole on a day of very low scoring and almost no wind at the PGA Tour’s season opener.
“Collin played well and I just kind of followed him, so good day,” said Matsuyama, a quiet player from Japan known for making a lot of birdies.
Morikawa played so well that it wasn’t until the sixth hole that he made a mistake. He hit a wedge shot to 25 feet and missed a birdie putt that went around the cup. In 54 holes, he had missed only two greens.
“Today was really, really good. A couple shots out there a little squirrely, but for the most part the irons were center face, knew where they were going,” Morikawa said.
Morikawa briefly took the lead on the front nine after making five birdies in the first five holes, including a 25-foot eagle putt on the fifth hole. Matsuyama caught up with him on the next hole, and they stayed close the rest of the round.
The low scoring was similar to 2022, when Cameron Smith set the tournament record and the PGA Tour record to par with a 34-under 258. The conditions that year were unusually calm, and this year wasn’t much different.
There was hardly any wind on the western edge of Maui, and the Plantation course is known for its wide fairways, making it easier for the best players to score well.
Three years ago, Smith and Jon Rahm were tied for the lead, five shots ahead of everyone else. Matsuyama was one shot ahead of Morikawa. Thomas Detry was next at 22-under 197, one shot ahead of Sungjae Im, who also had a 62.
The average score was 67.49, another record since the tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999.
Detry shot 65 but lost ground.
“I shot 8 under today, but didn’t really feel like I shot 8 under,” he said. “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 steady golf.”
Matsuyama and Morikawa kept making birdies and pulling away from the rest of the field. The key difference between them came on the 14th hole, a reachable par-4, where Matsuyama chipped to 3 feet for a birdie. Morikawa drove into a bunker, hit his shot to 10 feet, and missed the birdie putt.
The high level of play made every shot feel important, and both players handled the pressure well. Morikawa talked about being in the zone, and with another player at the same level, it made for an exciting round.
“It was a lot of fun,” Matsuyama said, “but I would like for him to take it easy tomorrow.”
Morikawa has been working on his swing during the offseason, but more importantly, he’s focused on his attitude. He wants to put his full effort into every shot, every day, and every tournament to see where it leads.
This makes Sunday a big test for him.
“You look back at the greats, they did that,” Morikawa said. “You look back at Tiger, he did that every single week. I think if I asked myself, ‘Did I do that the past six years, every time?’ Probably not, you know. But it’s hard. It’s hard to do that, but that’s what I’m going into this year is saying, ‘You know, I’ve got four days, let’s see what I can do.’”
Morikawa has had chances to win at Kapalua before. Two years ago, he had a six-shot lead but finished with a 72 and ended up behind Jon Rahm, who shot 63.
Last year, he played in the final group at three big events — one shot behind Scottie Scheffler at the Masters, tied with Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship, and four shots behind Scheffler at the Memorial.
Now, he’s chasing Matsuyama, who is looking for his third win in the last 10 months. This focus reminds Morikawa of when he first turned pro in 2019.
“I had seven opportunities for sponsor exemptions, didn’t know if I was going to get my card or not, and you’re going to put everything out there because you have that goal,” Morikawa said. “Well, I’m going to put everything out there tomorrow because I have the goal to win.”
