PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Hideki Matsuyama will never be mistaken for a great putter.
A great ball-striker? Sure. But the putter has long been seen as Matsuyama’s Achilles’ heel, and the stats bear it out: while he ranks fifth this season in strokes gained tee-to-green, Matsuyama is 147th on Tour in strokes gained putting.
After a putter switch that sparked a third-round 67 amid difficult conditions at The Players Championship, though, that narrative has been flipped on its head.
Matsuyama was rolling in putts left and right Saturday on the Stadium Course, and he currently sits second in strokes gained putting among the 76 players still standing at TPC Sawgrass.