It was a week full of drama and surprises, but in the end Hideki Matsuyama proved once again why he remains one of the most consistent forces in the men's golf world. Matsuyama emerged from an entertaining final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship with a two shot victory, finishing 17-under 263 overall to claim his second playoff event title and the largest payday of $3.6 million.
The week had gotten off to a difficult start for Matsuyama, who arrived in Memphis having endured a robbery at the London airport during his travel from the Olympics in which his wallet and the passports of his caddie Shota Hiyato, and coach Mikhito Kuromiya were stolen. This forced last minute personnel changes for Matsuyama that could have unsettled many players. However, the cool and collected Japanese star took it all in stride, leaning on fill-in caddie Taiga Tabuchi to help guide him round TPC Southwind.
Read more: Viktor Hovland Opens up about Ongoing Struggles. And sometimes Golf is 'Just Not that Fun'
After holding a share of the lead heading into the final round, Matsuyama made crucial par saves on 15 and 16 to maintain his advantage before closing with two free-swinging birdies over the final two holes to secure the comfortable winning margin. It was vintage ice-cold Matsuyama under pressure, a testament to his experience and mental strength in these big moments.
Hideki Matsuyama stormed to victory with fill-in caddie Taiga Tabuchi by his side in Memphis (Image: Getty Images)
While Matsuyama took top honours, it was an incredibly tight battle behind him which ensured an exciting day of twists and turns for fans. Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele shared second place at 15-under. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns rounded out the top 5.
With the top 50 in the FedEx Cup points standings now advancing, the likes of Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa can breathe sighs of relief having secured their spots inside the cut line. However, it was heartbreak for fan favourite Tom Kim, whose season came to a crushing end with a rules violation that resulted in a shockingly premature exit from the playoffs.
It sets the stage for an even more gripping BMW Championship next week as the game's best battle it out for their share of the enormous prizes on offer deep into the FedEx Cup finale. But for now, Matsuyama will savour another memorable win and the largest payday of his illustrious career to date. The total purse is $20 million.
Here are the earnings for each player at the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship:
1. Hideki Matsuyama $3.6 million
T2. Viktor Hovland $1.76 million
Xander Schauffle
4. Scottie Scheffler $960,000
T5. Sam Burns $760,000
Nick Dunlap
T7. Wyndham Clark $645,000
Robert MacIntyre
9. Denny McCarthy $580,000
T10. Billy Horschel $520,000
Seamus Power
T12. Maverick McNealy $405,000
Patrick Cantlay
Akshay Bhatia
Will Zalatoris
T16. Aaron Rai $330,000
Tony Finau
T18. Eric Cole $270,000
Austin Eckroat
Adam Scott
Matt Fitzpatrick
T22. Min Woo Lee $175,500
Collin Morikawa
Taylor Pendrith
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Brendon Todd
Jason Day
Tommy Fleetwood
Justin Rose
T30. Russell Henley $130,000
Justin Thomas
Alex Noren
T33. Max Greyserman $103,428.57
Davis Thompson
Patrick Rodgers
Emiliano Grillo
Byeong Hun An
J.T. Poston
Erik van Rooyen
T40. Cam Davis $76,000
Ludvig Aberg
Sungjae Im
Stephan Jaeger
Jhonattan Vegas
Victor Perez
T46. Thomas Detry $56,700
Tom Hoge
Matthieu Pavon
Sahith Theegala
T50. Si Woo Kim $47,250
Brian Harman
Adam Hadwin
Corey Conners
Tom Kim
Shane Lowry
Ben Griffin
Chris Kirk
58. Mackenzie Hughes $44,800
T59. Keegan Bradley $44,200
Peter Malnati
T61. Cameron Young $43,000
Mark Hubbard
Sepp Straka
Harris English
65. Nick Taylor $42,000
66. Taylor Moore $41,600
67. Jake Knapp $41,200
T68. Jordan Spieth $40,600
Rory McIlroy
70. Max Homa $40,000
