MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama felt the tournament slipping away from him, a strange feeling considering that just an hour earlier he had completed 27 holes without a bogey and had a five-stroke lead.

The ending on Sunday was even more unlikely.

On the verge of collapse, Matsuyama sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to retake the lead, then hit two shots as precise as any all day to win a wild PGA Tour postseason opener at the FedEx St. Jude Championship with a final birdie.

Birdies on the final two holes – among the most difficult at TPC Southwind – gave the Japanese star an even-par 70 and a two-shot victory over Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland, who thought they were playing for money and FedEx Cup points until Matsuyama suffered a mini-breakdown.

A three-putt bogey on the 12th hole. A tee shot into the water on the par-3 14th hole, where Matsuyama got away with a bogey. Two chips to the 15th green and a double bogey. When he saw a leaderboard on the 16th hole, Matsuyama’s fears were confirmed.

“I felt like I was losing today’s victory at that point because holes 17 and 18 are difficult enough, let alone getting a birdie there,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter.

He birdied both to secure his tenth PGA Tour victory and his first FedEx Cup playoff title.

In the final hour of what had been a sleepy, heated tournament, there was suddenly a lot at stake for everyone. It was a close call at the top and just as exciting as the FedEx Cup’s top 50 players were determined to move on to the next week.

How tense?

Take Nick Dunlap, who went from a chance to win the tournament to his best drive of the week to stay in the top 50 and extend his season. He was just as convincing as Matsuyama on the 18th tee and closed with a par for a 69, which tied him for fifth place and advanced.

“It was weird,” Dunlap said. “I started from 17 and tried to attack the pin. I thought I still had a chance to win the golf tournament. Then I can’t get up and down and then I’m wondering if I’m in the bubble or not. It was very stressful.”

Tom Kim seemed certain to finish in the top 50 until a 6-6-6 finish on his card ended his season.

Schauffele started nine strokes behind and waited to see if he would get into a playoff. Hovland was one stroke ahead with two holes to go. Scottie Scheffler, who finished fourth with 66 strokes, was still in play on the 17th hole.

In the end, it came down to Matsuyama.

The collapse was breathtaking. And so was the reaction.

“He just never seemed to get rattled. That was really impressive,” said Dunlap, who played in the final group with Matsuyama. “That’s why he has a green jacket and a lot of other stuff. For me, it was definitely cool to watch him. He deserves it. He was impressive all day.”

Hovland, the reigning FedEx Cup champion, entered the postseason ranked No. 57 with no guarantee that he could defend his title next week at the BMW Championship. And then he had a chance to win, taking the lead with his birdie on the 16th hole. He gave it away by failing to save par from a bunker on the 17th and then missing a 9-foot birdie putt for a 66 on the 18th.

He tied for second with Schauffele, who played bogey-free and shot 63. Hovland moved up to 16th place, securing not only a spot next week but also a spot in the Tour Championship.

But it wasn’t over yet. The final group on the final hole – the most difficult of the day – came up with the following score: Matsuyama needed par to win, Dunlap needed par to move from 67th place into the top 50. A bogey would have knocked the former US Amateur champion out of the top 50.

Both hit the middle of the fairway. Dunlap hit his approach shot to just under 20 feet, while Matsuyama hit an 8-iron at the flag, with water on the left. The ball landed just under 6 feet away.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ontario, was the best Canadian at 6 under par.

Matsuyama, who finished 17 under par at 263, won for the second time this year, shooting 62 in the final round to win the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. Coming off a bronze medal at the Olympics, his performance was spot on, except for that terrible four-hole stretch.

He won $3.6 million and rose from 8th to 3rd place in the FedEx Cup.

It’s been quite a week for the Japanese star, who has had to find a replacement caddy and can only work with his coach by phone. Everyone was on their way home from the Paris Olympics for dinner in London when someone carelessly stole their bag.

The thief stole Matsuyama’s wallet and the passports of his caddie and coach. They had to return to Japan and scramble to find replacements quickly. Matsuyama carried on as if it were just another work week and picked up his first win of the postseason.

Hovland, Dunlap and Eric Cole (No. 54) made it into the top 50. Cole did so with a 63, despite a bogey on the final hole. Kim (No. 43), Mackenzie Hughes (No. 48) and Jake Knapp (No. 50) dropped out of the top 50.

Kim was ready to advance until he needed two shots to get out of a greenside bunker on the par-5 16th hole (bogey), two chips to get onto the green on the 17th hole (double bogey) and a tee shot into the water on the 18th hole (double bogey).

“This season has just been… it’s just been that way,” Kim said. “I played really good golf and then had some tough finishes. I feel like 2024 has really kicked my butt.”

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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press