Shriners Hospitals for Children Open: Top 10 power rankings

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LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 16: Hideki Matsuyama of Japan lines up a putt on the 11th hole during the first round of the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open at TPC Summerlin on October 16, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images) /

Hideki Matsuyama did pretty well in his one and only Shriners Hospitals for Children Open appearance in 2014. How will he do this time around?

Odds are pretty well, considering the seven PGA Tour wins he’s piled up since then.

The Japanese star is eager to get back to the winner’s circle after coming up shy in 2018 and thus far in 2019. He’s still been awfully consistent and is one of the world’s premier ball strikers.

Matsuyama has two third-place finishes this year, including recently at the BMW Championship in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He only missed three cuts and had 14 top-25s in 23 starts in the calendar year.

In 2018-19, the 27-year-old quietly finished seventh in total strokes gained (1.498). He was fifth in SG approach (.759) and 26th in SG off the tee (.381). He was 31st in driving distance (303) and 114th in driving accuracy (61.28%), so it makes sense he’s signed on to play at a bomber-friendly layout.

Last week resulted in a missed cut for Matsuyama in his 2019-2020 debut at the Safeway Open, but he’s at least shaken off some cobwebs compared to some of the big names who here who have been idle since the Tour Championship.

In 2014, Matsuyama fired rounds of 66-71-68-66 at the Shriners.

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