2023 WM Phoenix Open: Top 10 Power Rankings at TPC Scottsdale

Hideki Matsuyama has an extraordinary resume at the WM Phoenix Open.

The highlight, of course, is when he went back-to-back for victory in 2016 and 2017.

He posted 65-70-68-67 (-14) and beat Rickie Fowler in a playoff the first time. He went even lower with 63-68-68-66 (-19) the next year, but still needed a playoff to get it done, this time against Webb Simpson.

Aside from a withdrawal in 2018, he’s never missed the cut in eight other appearances.

Matsuyama grabbed three other top-10s with T-4th (68-67-68-69) in 2014, T-2nd (69-71-63-67) in 2015, and T-8th (68-68-66-69) in 2022.

Last year, he finished just three out of a playoff. He actually had a good week by his standards on the greens, ranking 17th in strokes gained putting (3.522). He did struggle on Sunday, though, and that was the difference in winning vs. contending.

His iron game was sharp as usual, ranking fifth in SG approach (5.082). Last season, he was sixth on the PGA Tour in this stat per round (.711) and first in approach proximity from 125-150 yards (19’1”).

Recent form shows a T-9th a couple weeks ago in Matsuyama’s last start at the Farmers Insurance Open, which was a designated event like this. That was his third start of 2023. He finished T-21st at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and T-48th at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Those were the 30-year-old’s first starts since returning from a neck injury that forced him to withdraw from the Cadence Bank Houston Open in November.

Now in better health and with the rust shaking off, it’s time for Matsuyama to strike.