KAPALUA, Hawaii >> Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa put on a stripe show Saturday at Kapalua, each of them posting an 11-under 62 at vulnerable Kapalua that threatened to turn The Sentry into a two-man show in the PGA Tour opener.
Matsuyama had a shot at tying the course record with a long eagle attempt from just short of the 18th green. He took two putts for birdie to maintain the one-shot lead he had over Morikawa at the start of the day.
Morikawa holed a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 closing hole for his 62. He briefly took the lead on the front nine by starting 5 under in five holes, including a 25-foot eagle putt on the fifth hole during a display of sublime shotmaking.
Matsuyama caught him on the next hole and they were tight the rest of the way.
The 11 birdies for Matsuyama are the most he has made in a round on the PGA Tour. He was at 27-under 192, a 54-hole record on the Plantation course at Kapalua.
It was reminiscent of 2022, when Cameron Smith set the tournament record — and PGA Tour record to par — at 34-under 258. The conditions were abnormally calm that year, and this year wasn’t much different.
There was barely any wind on the western edge of Maui, and the Plantation course was built for fierce wind out of any direction. This became target practice for the world’s best player, particularly on a course with the widest fairways on the PGA Tour.
Three years ago, Smith and Jon Rahm were tied for the lead five shots clear of everyone else. Matsuyama was one ahead of Morikawa. Thomas Detry was next at 22-under 197, one ahead of Sungjae Im’s 62.