Hideki Matsuyama claims the Hero World Challenge title in a playoff against Alex Norén, while Sepp Straka finishes strong in third.
The final round of the PGA Tour‘s Hero World Challenge at Albany Resort in the Bahamas delivered a dramatic finish, culminating in a playoff between Sweden’s Alex Norén and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama. Both players completed regulation play at 22-under-par, forcing a playoff. On the 19th hole, Matsuyama secured the win with a three-stroke finish, edging out Norén who carded a four. This marks Matsuyama’s second PGA Tour victory in 2025, and he received the trophy from none other than Tiger Woods.
Both Matsuyama and Norén shot impressive 64s on Sunday, climbing two spots on the leaderboard. Matsuyama delivered a bogey-free round, highlighted by five birdies on the front nine. He added another birdie and an eagle on the back nine. Norén, despite a bogey on the 4th hole, managed nine birdies to stay in contention.
Back nine slows down Sepp Straka
Austria’s Sepp Straka, a frontrunner going into the final round, finished third after a solid 68. He opened strong with four birdies on the front nine, but the back nine proved more challenging. Two birdies offset two bogeys, leaving him four-under for the day and 20-under overall.
Straka’s performance still set a high bar, especially compared to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who tied for fourth with J.J. Spaun. Scheffler, who had shared the lead with Straka after round one, also carded a 68 on Sunday. Despite five birdies and an eagle on the 15th, three bogeys kept him from climbing higher. Both Scheffler and Spaun ended at 20-under-par.
Hero World Challenge: Prestige and purpose
The Hero World Challenge is an exclusive invitational event hosted by golf legend Tiger Woods since 2000. Featuring 20 top PGA Tour players, the tournament offers a $5 million purse. Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods-founded TGR Foundation, which supports career and educational opportunities for underprivileged youth, using golf as a tool to teach life skills. While no FedEx Cup points are awarded, the event counts toward the Official World Golf Ranking.