NASSAU, Bahamas – There may not be a hotter player in the world right now than Hideki Matsuyama, and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Matsuyama broke through for victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China last month, a win that he sandwiched in between victories at the Japan Open and, most recently, the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan. He threw in a runner-up finish at the CIMB Classic for good measure, and suddenly the Japanese phenom has risen to No. 6 in the world.
That strong play continued Thursday at the Hero World Challenge, where Matsuyama opened with a 7-under 65 that left him alone in second place among the 18-man field, one shot behind J.