[Winners Club] Matsuyama's Putter Change Sparks Inspired Green Play

This Year's Opening Round The Sentry Tournament Record for Most Under Par Victory
Second in Four-Day Average Putting, First in 4R Putting
Equipped with Scotty Cameron Center Shaft Before Tournament

The putter change paid off.

This is the story of Hideki Matsuyama (Japan). On the 2nd (local time), ahead of the opening event of the 2025 PGA Tour season, The Sentry (total prize money $20 million), held at the Plantation Course (par 73, 7,596 yards) at Kapalua Resort on Maui Island, Hawaii, USA, he changed his equipment. He put the Scotty Cameron 009M Center Shaft Tour Prototype putter into his caddie bag. The result was fantastic. He ranked 3rd (5.42 strokes) in strokes gained putting.

Matsuyama Hideki is cheering after securing the victory with a birdie on the final 18th hole of the last day at The Sentry using a new putter. Hawaii=AP·Yonhap News

Matsuyama showed divine putting at The Sentry. Over four days, his average putts per green in regulation ranked 2nd (1.56). On the final day, the 5th, he was even more on fire, ranking 1st in average putts (1.40). It was his 11th career win, five months after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship last August, earning $3.6 million (about 5.3 billion KRW) in prize money. He also set a new record for the most under-par victory in the tournament (35 under par, 257 strokes). In an interview immediately after winning, he smiled brightly and said, "This is the first time I've used this putter. I don't really know why it worked so well, but the putts just went in."

Hideki Matsuyama used the Scotty Cameron 009M Center Shaft Tour Prototype putter at The Sentry. Photo by PGA Tour

This is not the first time Matsuyama has won after changing putters. At last August's FedEx St. Jude Championship, he also switched to the Scotty Cameron Craftsman Squareback Tour Prototype and claimed the title. Matsuyama used the Srixon Z-Star XV9 golf ball in this tournament, a product not yet released. The PGA Tour commented on Matsuyama, "He is a style that changes putters frequently. We will have to see how long this putter stays in his caddie bag."

Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees)

Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees), Cobra King RadSpeed Tour (17.5 degrees)

Irons: Srixon Z-Forged II (#4-9)

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 Forged Prototype (48, 52, 56 degrees)

Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M Center Shaft Tour Prototype

Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV9 *Source=PGA Tour