The Japanese star was on the practice green at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, ahead of the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoffs, where he had a five-shot lead overnight. Ever the putter nerd, Faxon, who also works as a TV commentator, asked Matsuyama about his new Scotty Cameron putter, which he had in his bag for the first time.

“He’s five strokes ahead and leading the week in putting, which was incredible, and I said can I look at your putter because I’ve never seen it before,” Faxon told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio.

“I’m a Scotty Cameron freak too. He takes it out of his hat, hands it to me and then, honestly, Hideki says, ‘Can I have a putting lesson?’ and tells me in English!” Faxon said.

“I started laughing and said, ‘Hideki, you’re leading by five strokes, you’re the first putter on tour this week and you want a putting lesson?’ I thought it was funny, but then Bob Turner (Matsuyama’s agent and translator) came over and said, ‘He’s serious, he wants to know what you like about his putting.'”

The flat club has been Matsuyama’s pain and joy over the years. He is known for his excellent hitting skills, reflected in his third-place finish this season for Strokes Gained (SG): Tee to Green.

When he competed in Memphis last week, which Matsuyama won by two points, he was ranked a modest 133rd.^rd in SG: Putting.

In the last five seasons he finished 119th^th114^th175^th 170^th and 97^th in putting, which raises the question of how many more PGA Tours he could have won if he had putted better and more consistently.

At TPC Memphis, his new putter worked really well: He managed an astonishing 12.78 strokes on the field and made a total of 453 feet of putts, the second most in his career, which now includes 10 PGA Tour titles.

As he prepares for this week’s BMW Championship, however, there’s no guarantee it will remain his weapon of choice. Matsuyama’s thirst for perfection is such that he’s willing to constantly tinker with his equipment. Seeking advice from Faxon just before teeing off in the final round of a $20 million event proves he’s like a sponge, always willing to soak up all kinds of golf knowledge just to get better.

“I usually travel with five or six putters,” said Matsuyama, who finished third in putting at the Genesis Invitational and became the winningest Asian golfer in February with nine wins. “The putter I used (in Memphis) I got from Scotty last year, but I had never used it before. But for some reason, when I was home in Orlando and came to this tournament, I felt like this putter could work on these greens.”

Faxon, whose star pupil is three-time FedEx Cup winner Rory McIlroy, admitted he was nervous after Matsuyama’s spontaneous request.

“I thought to myself, ‘How dare I say something?’” Faxon laughed.

“Before he starts his stroke, (his putter) is never really stagnant (…) he has that little (bounce), it’s almost like the putter head is nervous, but I like that fidgetiness. I definitely didn’t want to say anything technical that might confuse him, and I told him what I like is the squareness of his setup. I think the springy putter (…) so many great putters have done that, and I don’t like being static over the ball.”

Last season, Matsuyama surprised many with a putting drill in which he placed a coin on the tip of his putter, forcing him to slow the flat club’s motion to avoid dropping the coin.

He is also known for carrying over 20 clubs in his golf bag during practice rounds to test certain clubs before competition.

That he asked Faxon for advice before his final round is perhaps one of the most interesting anecdotes about Matsuyama, who clearly wants to stay ahead as he chases the Tour’s ultimate prize from FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler. The top 30 after the BMW Championship qualify for the Tour Championship, and Matsuyama is expected to start the week of the tiered final tournament three strokes behind Scheffler.

Since the FedEx Cup was introduced in 2007, no Asian golfer has managed to win it, but Korean Sung-jae Im came closest to winning in 2022 when he finished second behind McIlroy.

“There are many players from different countries and the fact that no player from Asia has won (the FedEx Cup) motivates me,” Matsuyama said earlier. “I would be very happy if more people believed that a player from Asia could win it.”

He could well succeed, especially if his putter stays this good over the next two weeks.

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The author is senior director of marketing and communications for the PGA Tour in Asia Pacific.