Hideki Matsuyama leans on hot putter in chase for FedExCup glory

American Brad Faxon, an eight-time PGA Tour winner and now a putting guru, tells a funny tale which reinforces the notion that Hideki Matsuyama will leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of perfection, and perhaps, earning the chance as well at rewriting more golf history by the time the FedExCup play-offs conclude.

The Japanese star was on the practice green at TPC Southwind in Memphis before the final round of the St Jude Championship, the first of three play-off events, where he held an overnight five-shot lead.

Being a putter nerd, Faxon, who also works as a TV analyst, approached Matsuyama about his new Scotty Cameron putter which he put in his bag for the first time.

“He has a five-shot lead, leading the week in putting stats, which was incredible, and I said ‘may I look at your putter as I’ve never seen it’,” Faxon told SiriusXM PGA Tour radio.

“I’m a Scotty Cameron geek too and he takes it out of the head cover, hands it to me and then honest to God, Hideki goes ‘can I have a putting lesson’ and he says it to me in English! I started laughing and said ‘Hideki you’re leading by five, you’re putting first on tour this week and want a putting lesson?’

“I thought it was funny and then Bob Turner (Matsuyama’s agent and interpreter) came up and goes ‘he’s serious, he wants to know what you like about his putting’.”

Over the years, the flat stick has been Matsuyama’s pain and joy. He is renowned for his superb ball-striking abilities, which is reflected by his third placing on the strokes gained (tee-to-green) rankings this season.

Entering Memphis last week – which Matsuyama won by two – he was ranked a lowly 136th in strokes gained (putting).

His past five seasons have seen him ranked 119th, 114th, 175th, 170th and 97th in putting, which makes one wonder how many more tour wins he could have registered if he had putted more consistently.

In Memphis, his new putter got real hot as he gained an astonishing 12.78 strokes over the field and made a total of 453 feet of putts, the second most in his career, which now includes 10 tour titles.

However, as he prepares for this week’s BMW Championship, there is no guarantee it will remain his preferred weapon of choice.

Such is Matsuyama’s thirst for perfection that he is prepared to keep tinkering with his equipment. As to seeking advice from Faxon just before teeing off in the final round of a US$20 million (S$26.2 million) event, it proves that he is like a sponge, ever ready to absorb all forms of golf knowledge to get better.

“Usually I travel with five or six putters,” said Matsuyama, the most successful Asian golfer. “The putter that I used (in Memphis), I received it from Scotty last year, but I had never used it before. But for some reason, when I was at home in Orlando coming to this tournament, I just started feeling that this putter may work on these greens.”

Faxon, whose star pupil is three-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy, admitted to being nervous after Matsuyama’s impromptu request.

“I’m like, how could I dare say anything,” laughed Faxon. “Before he starts his stroke, (his putter) is really never stagnant... it’s got that little bouncy, it’s almost like the putter head is nervous but I like that fidgetiness. I definitely didn’t want to say anything technical that might confuse him and I told him what I like is the squareness of his set-up.”

Last season, Matsuyama surprised many with a putting drill where he put a coin on the toe of his putter, which forces him to slow down the movement of the flat stick to stop the coin from falling off. He is also known to stash 20-over clubs in his golf bag during practice rounds to test certain clubs before competition.

Tapping up Faxon for advice before his final round must rank as one of the more interesting anecdotes to date about Matsuyama, who is obviously keen to gain an edge as he chases FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler for the tour’s ultimate prize.

The top 30 after BMW qualify for the Tour Championship, with Matsuyama projected to start the week three strokes back of Scheffler in the staggered-scoring finale tournament.

No Asian golfer has won the FedExCup since its inception in 2007, with Im Sung-jae of South Korea coming the closest in 2022 after finishing tied-second behind McIlroy.

“There are many players from different countries, and to not yet have a player from Asia win (the FedExCup) is something that motivates me,” Matsuyama said previously. “I’d be very happy if more people believed that a player from Asia could win it.”

He might do so, especially if his putter remains hot over the next two weeks.