2021 PGA Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Kiawah Island

Hideki Matsuyama can go from being majorless for his career to being halfway to the 2021 Grand Slam with four good rounds this week at Kiawah Island.

The sky is the limit for Japan’s golf star when his ball striking clicks like it did at Augusta National. Matsuyama was able to stroll down the 18th hole comfortably in his Masters win last month. He fired 69-71-65-73 and showed poise on Sunday by never relinquishing his 54-hole lead.

That was Matsuyama’s 28th made cut in 33 major championships. He’s never missed a major since 2013 and has eight top-10s. At the PGA Championship, the 29-year-old is 8-for-8 making the cut and fared no worse than T-37th. His best result was T-4th in 2016 at Baltusrol.

Everyone’s entitled to unwind from a big victory however they choose. Matsuyama opted to take the next four weeks off to spend time with his family in Japan. He shook off the rust last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Matsuyama had a top-20 ball striking week and finished T-39th with four rounds in red figures.

That’s usually the formula for a sub-top 100 putter who’s an elite iron player and solid with the driver and around the greens.

Matsuyama has eight top-25s in the 2020-21 season. He’s missed just one cut and owns a T-2nd finish at the Houston Open to go with his green jacket.

This is his debut at Kiawah Island.

Tremendous ball striking (23rd strokes gained tee to green, .975) should help him navigate a new course like this. Matsuyama is also ninth in par-5 scoring (4.5).