2024 Valero Texas Open: Top 10 power rankings at TPC San Antonio
FedEx Cup: 3rd. Hideki Matsuyama. 2024TexasOpen/PowerRank/2. 2. OWGR: 14th
Hideki Matsuyama is one of the few quote-en-quote “big names” who have won this season on the PGA Tour.
His victory came at the Genesis Invitational where he made Riviera Country Club look like a muni when he scorched it for a Sunday 64 to complete a comeback victory.
Matsuyama is the highest-ranked FedEx Cup player in the field this week thanks largely to his win at the Genesis Invitational, as well as three other top-13s.
Japan’s top golfer comes into the Valero Texas Open in fine form.
His last three starts show a win, T-12th and T-6th. He’s well rested with two weeks off since last teeing it up at the Players Championship.
This will be his fourth Valero Texas Open appearance, all since 2021. He debuted with a T-30th finish (67-74-73-71). A neck injury forced his withdrawal in 2022 after completing 27 holes.
Matsuyama returned in 2023 and posted four rounds of par or better en route to T-15th (70-72-68-71).
The 32-year-old out of Tohoku Fukushi University ranks 15th on the PGA Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Total (.981), is fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green (1.360) and first in SG: Around-the-Green (.674).
Matsuyama has been phenomenal with his wedges, ranking in or near the top 10 in various approach proximity categories from inside 150 yards.
He’s 30th in bogey avoidance (12.72%) and is 12th in consecutive made cuts (11).
The only concern is Matsuyama’s health. He expressed feeling some back pain last month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It likely isn’t too bad if he’s playing this week when he could be resting, but it is something to monitor for this week and next.