Despite Hideki Matsuyama’s recent triumph at the Genesis Invitational, which included a stunning final round, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has continually tried to lure the Japanese star to the Saudi-backed circuit.
Matsuyama would be a massive get for LIV, as the 2021 Masters Champion is one of the biggest stars in his native country. He would also help LIV open its doors to the Japanese market, which is both crazy for golf and growing exponentially.
“We’ve been trying to get Hideki Matsuyama. I don’t mind admitting that,” Norman said in an interview with Australian Golf Digest.
“When Hideki won in [Los Angeles], what’s the first thing I did? I said, ‘Congratulations, Hideki. I’m proud of you, mate.’”
Matsuyama’s victory at Riviera marked his first PGA Tour win since 2022, when he won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.
Since then, he has had to battle neck and back injuries, which have led to numerous withdrawals and poor form over the past two seasons.
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And yet, during that span, he still showed flashes of brilliance, finishing in solo fourth place at the 2022 U.S. Open and recording four other top-10 finishes.
His best performance in 2023 came at The Players, where he finished fifth.
And so far, in 2024, Matsuyama has made the cut in every event he has played in. He also feels healthier, as evidenced by his final round 62, which led him to victory at the Genesis Invitational.
Matsuyama will tee it up next at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, marking the fourth Signature Event of the 2024 PGA Tour season. In the meantime, he will skip out on the Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches, instead opting to practice and take this week off.
Perhaps he will tune in to this week’s LIV Golf event in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps not.
Either way, Norman will still try to snatch Matsuyama from the PGA Tour and steal yet another star, depriving the tour of more talent.
“Stay tuned, mate,” Norman added.
“Stay tuned.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
