FEDEX ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP

August 18, 2024

Hideki Matsuyama

TPC Southwind

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to we welcome the champion the 2024 FedExCup St. Jude Championship, Hideki Matsuyama. Hideki, you not only secured your 10th PGA TOUR victory, but this win moved you up to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings. If we could get an opening comment on what that means to you heading into next week at BMW.

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: I'm especially happy to be able to win one of the FedExCup Playoff series tournaments. I've tried hard for 10 years, and it's a great feeling of satisfaction. To finally be able to have done it.

Q. What did that feel like to have such a big lead and all of a sudden be trailing, and how did you manage to make two birdies on really hard holes?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: After the 14th hole, I was still two up, but I knew Viktor and Xander were playing 15, 16 ahead of me. I figured they would both get to 16-under. So when I was playing the 16th hole and looked at the scoreboard, sure enough, they were both at 16-under and I was a stroke back.

I felt today's victory slipping away at that point because 17 and 18 are difficult holes enough, let alone to birdie them.

But I was fortunate enough to birdie 17. Immediately I thought, oh, man, this is going to be a tough tee shot at 18. I've got to keep it in the fairway. I'm grateful I was able to do it.

Q. 14 and 15, what happened on those holes?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: 14, I wasn't going for it. My target was 20 feet left of the pin. I just hit a bad shot. That was 14.

15 was not good. I flared my tee shot to the right. I didn't want to hit it in the water, so I ended up hitting it over the green, taking two chips and ended up with a double bogey.

But still, I felt I had three holes left, and so I felt like I still had a chance.

Q. What was more surprising to you, that you lost the lead on the back nine or that you were able to recover the lead by birdieing the last two?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: It has to be the two birdies at 17 and 18.

Q. You dealt with a lot of adversity even getting here with the mishap with your caddie. How did you overcome that adversity and come through to win, and what role do you feel Taiga played in making you as comfortable as possible over the weekend?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Yeah, it was Taiga's -- first time I've worked with him. In fact, I hadn't really spoken to him very much prior to this week. I knew he was caddying for Ryo on the TOUR earlier in the year, so we did play some practice rounds together.

On the course, you have a routine, but with a new caddie, that routine changes, and so we were working through that all week. But he was a great help to me. Helped me read a lot of putts. A lot of good lines that he gave me.

Q. Are you at all surprised you were able to pull everything together this week after what happened to you?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: I knew I still had two holes left, and that was just what I was thinking: Two more holes. I've got to make one birdie.

I knew if I could keep it in the fairway at 17, I'd have a chance. It was in the left rough. Lie wasn't too bad. I was able to get it on the green.

On that putt, I drew from this entire week's putting on the greens. I putted well all week, and I thought, well, I did it before, let's do it again. Then 18 was just gravy, I guess.

Q. Is Shota going to make it back to Denver in time?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Yes. He just arrived in Denver. In fact, he called and he made it.

Q. On 18, what makes that such a difficult driving hole to get it in the fairway for you? And can you explain what you hoped to do, and did the ball go exactly how you imagined?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Yeah, we had a left-to-right against wind. It was right in our face. I was debating a 3-wood or a 5-wood. With left to right, the water comes into play there, you don't want to just flare it to the right. So I ended up hitting a 3-wood and just cut it down the left side, and it held its line.

Q. A lot has been said about the putter change this week. Why exactly did you go to that one, and will it still be in the bag next week in Colorado?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Coming into Memphis, I felt like I needed a change of pace, kind of a refresh with my putter. I thought about the putters I had, and I felt -- because I knew this course. I knew the condition of the greens. I thought this putter might work, and it did. I putted great, and I won.

Whether or not I'll use it next week, we'll see. I've never played Castle Pines golf course, and we'll just have to wait and see what the greens are like there before I choose which putter I'll use.

Q. Big picture, could you put the entire week in perspective from what happened to you in London to winning today.

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Maybe because of that, I won this week.

Q. How many putters do you travel with each week, and how long have you had this putter in your possession?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Usually I travel with five or six putters. The putter that I used this week, I received it from Scotty last year, but I had never used it before. But for some reason when I was at home in Orlando coming to this tournament, I just started feeling that this putter may work on these greens.

Q. If a win doesn't guarantee that it will be used next week, what does?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: It depends on the speed of the greens there at Castle Pines.

Q. Walk me through your approach shot on 18 and then the emotions that came after putting it so close to the hole.

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: 18, the second shot, I was aiming about 15 feet, 20 feet to the right of the pin with that wind that we had. When I hit the shot, I didn't see it, and I didn't know where it was on the green. But when Bones gave me the thumbs up, I knew it was good.

Q. Why didn't you see it?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: I saw it in the air, but I didn't see it on the green. I didn't know how close it was. That's when Bones gave me the thumbs up.

Q. On Taiga, was he in Japan when you went trying to find a caddie?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Yeah, he was in Japan. When I needed a caddie, he was my first choice, even though I didn't know him that well. But he knows the PGA TOUR, has caddied here before, speaks Japanese. Luckily, I contacted him, he was free this week, able to come over, and it worked out.

Q. Was he working on Japan LPGA?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Yes.

Q. Lastly, how do you celebrate big wins? Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sunday.

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: I know. I had Chick-Fil-A last night, and in Denver I think they have Chick-Fil-A. So that's probably where I'll celebrate tomorrow.