Matsuyama Wins the 2025 Hero World Challenge with a First-Hole Playoff Birdie
Hideki Matsuyama and Alex Noren both closed with 64 to finish at 22 under at Albany on December 7, 2025. Matsuyama won his second Hero title with a birdie on the first extra hole.
Players Mentioned
Hideki Matsuyama won the Hero World Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas on December 7, 2025. He and Alex Noren both closed with eight-under 64s to finish at 266, or 22 under par, before Matsuyama won with a birdie on the first extra hole. The official final-round notes record his second Hero title, following 2016.
The leading finishers
| Finish | Player | Final round | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, playoff | Hideki Matsuyama | 64 | 266 | −22 |
| 2, playoff | Alex Noren | 64 | 266 | −22 |
| 3 | Sepp Straka | 68 | 267 | −21 |
| T4 | J.J. Spaun | 65 | 268 | −20 |
| T4 | Scottie Scheffler | 68 | 268 | −20 |
Matsuyama began Sunday three strokes behind Straka. Noren birdied the final hole in regulation to force the playoff, but Matsuyama then made birdie on the par-four 18th to settle it. Golf Monthly’s tournament report follows that finish.
An unofficial TOUR event
The Hero is a 20-player, unofficial PGA TOUR event hosted by Tiger Woods. It does not add to a player’s official TOUR victory total or award FedExCup points. Matsuyama’s official TOUR win earlier in 2025 came at The Sentry; Albany added a second trophy at an event he had already won in 2016.
The Bethpage players’ Hero results provide further detail on Straka, Spaun and Scheffler’s finishes.
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