Hideki Matsuyama finds new top-20 world ranking spot after Hero World Challenge 2025 win

Hideki Matsuyama jumped into the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the 2025 Hero World Challenge. The Japanese golfer competed in the four-day event in the Bahamas, which concluded with its finale on Sunday, Dec. 7. He had a phenomenal outing this week and clinched the title after defeating Alex Noren in the playoff.

Matsuyama gained 30.30595 points after his win, and with that, he jumped from 20th place to 17th in the OWGR. However, his best rank is second. The Japanese golfer had a remarkable start to his 2025 season on the PGA Tour.

He won the season-opening The Sentry, and with that victory jumped to fifth place in the OWGR. However, after a good start, as the season progressed, he had some tough times on the field and slipped outside the top 15 in the OWGR. He fell out of the top 10 after finishing T-42 at the U.S. Open and has since struggled to return to the top 10.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler is still leading the OWGR standings, followed by Rory McIlroy in second place. The American golfer also played at the 2025 Hero World Challenge and was in contention for the title after three rounds.

However, he struggled on Sunday and, after a round of 68, settled in fourth place in a two-way tie with J.J. Spaun. Sepp Straka, who was in the lead after 54 holes at the Hero World Challenge, slipped down to third place after posting a round of 68 on Sunday. He is ranked 11th in the OWGR.

---

Hideki Matsuyama opens up about his win at Hero World Challenge

Hideki Matsuyama started his campaign at the 2025 Hero World Challenge with an opening round of 68. He then was impressive in the second round and carded a round of 66. He added another round of 68 on Saturday, followed by the final round of 64 on Sunday.

With 22-under, he was tied for the lead with Alex Noren after four rounds and finally added a birdie on the 18th in the playoff to secure his win.In the post-round press conference, Matsuyama talked about his performance and said (via Tee Scripts):

"A lot of luck with No. 10 eagle, and also the partner with Alex, he played well like last four, five hole, so it was good mood playing together."

Hideki Matsuyama made an impressive eagle on the 10th hole on Sunday and talked about the shot. He said:

"No. 10, to win we need a birdie. Before he hits the second shot, Alex hits really good shot and I was able to -- yeah, I got the great imagination from Alex and able to hit a great shot."

Hideki Matsuyama has recorded some solid finishes on the PGA Tour this season, which include T-16 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, T-25 at the WM Phoenix Open, T-13 at the Genesis Invitational, T-17 at the Truist Championship, T-13 at the Rocket Classic, and T-17 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.