Hideki Matsuyama edges out Alex Noren in play-off to win Hero World Challenge
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Winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan lining up a putt on the 12th hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge 2025 at Albany Golf Course on Dec 07, 2025 in Nassau, Bahamas. He beat Sweden's Alex Noren in a one-hole play-off after they finished level on 22-under 266.
PHOTO: AFP
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ALBANY – Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama outlasted Alex Noren of Sweden in a one-hole play-off to win the Hero World Challenge on Dec 7 at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas.
Both players closed with sparkling eight-under 64s to finish regulation tied at 22-under 266, before Matsuyama ended it with a laser-tight birdie on the extra hole.
In the play-off, Matsuyama hit a nine-iron that landed a couple of feet from the flag on the 18th hole. Noren had a 20-foot putt that slid left and Matsuyama tapped in for the title.
When asked what his best shot of the tournament was, Matsuyama had a straightforward answer – the second shot in the play-off.
“Couldn’t make a birdie putt on 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter. “So we decided to go right at it.”
Austria’s Sepp Straka, who took a one-stroke lead into the final round, posted 68 and birdied the last hole to finish solo third at 21-under 267. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (68) and J.J. Spaun (65) shared fourth at 20 under, while England’s Justin Rose (66) took sixth at 18 under and Canada’s Corey Conners (65) was 17 under.
“It was a good week,” Straka said after the round. “Came into the week really just trying to see where my game was after working on my swing a little bit in the off-season, working on a few things.
“Still feels a little bit like a work in progress, but it always is. So really happy with the progress we’ve made over the off-season and yeah, looking forward to continuing to work to the start of next season.”
The small, elite field produced low numbers all week, but Matsuyama completed a bogey-free final round highlighted by a momentum-swinging hole-out eagle from 116 yards on the par-four 10th to catch Straka for a share of the lead.
Matsuyama credited watching Noren, his playing partner, hit a similar shot to helping set up his eagle.
“No. 10, to win we (needed at least) a birdie,” Matsuyama said. “Before he hits the second shot, Alex hits (a) really good shot and I was able to – yeah, I got the great imagination from Alex and (was) able to hit a great shot.”
Scheffler’s bid for a third straight win at the event unravelled on the back nine. Two shots off the lead at the par-five 11th, he found trouble and scrambled for bogey. A bunker-induced bogey at the par-three 12th followed and Matsuyama’s 30-footer for birdie at No. 13 stretched the gap.
Even so, Scheffler closed with yet another top-five finish in a year that has not seen him end worse than tied for eighth since the Players Championship way back in March.
“I did a lot of good stuff,” the American said. “Hit the ball pretty nice. Definitely need to be sharper around the greens, but that’s probably a bit of rust. But coming down here is always a good gauge to kind of see where you are around the greens because it’s pretty challenging, so felt pretty good.”
The victory caps a bookend season for Matsuyama, who opened 2025 by setting the PGA Tour record to par at The Sentry at Kapalua and now collects his second Hero World Challenge in Tiger Woods’ invitational, after also winning in 2016. REUTERS
