Two Paths to the Top: Matsuyama & Hisatsune Teach Every Golfer How to Go Low

Something special happened Friday evening at TPC Scottsdale. As play was suspended due to darkness at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open, Ryo Hisatsune stood at 11-under par with Hideki Matsuyama one shot back at 10-under. For the first time in PGA TOUR history, two Japanese players held the top two spots on a leaderboard heading into the weekend.

But this isn’t just a story about national pride or making history. It’s a masterclass in how two completely different approaches to the game can lead to the same destination. Hisatsune and Matsuyama didn’t just make history together. They wrote separate instruction manuals on how to get there.

Hisatsune’s path to 11-under tells the story of a player who has figured out the most important part of golf: hitting greens and hitting them close. His second-round 63 wasn’t built on bombed drives or miraculous scrambling. It was constructed with surgical iron play.

The numbers don’t lie. Hisatsune ranked second in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green at 4.456. He hit 30 of 36 greens in regulation, tied for first in the tournament at 83.33%. When you’re giving yourself that many birdie looks, good things happen. He finished with one eagle and 11 birdies through two rounds.

His driving wasn’t spectacular. At 50% accuracy and ranking 52nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Hisatsune proved you don’t need to stripe it off the tee to lead a golf tournament. You just need to be good enough to give yourself chances with your irons.

Matsuyama took the scenic route to 10-under, and it was beautiful to watch. The two-time Phoenix Open champion hit just 63.89% of greens in regulation, well below Hisatsune’s mark. But here’s where it gets interesting: it didn’t matter.

When Matsuyama missed greens, he turned potential bogeys into pars and pars into birdies. His scrambling percentage of 92.31% ranked third in the field. He saved par from the sand on all three attempts. His work around the greens earned him 2.670 strokes on the field, eighth-best in the tournament.

And when he did hit greens, Matsuyama made putts. Lots of them. He gained 3.498 strokes on the field with the flatstick, ranking ninth, and needed just 1.61 putts per green in regulation. That back-nine 30 in the second round, featuring six consecutive birdies, showed what happens when a great short game catches fire.

Want to follow Hisatsune’s precision path? Spend 70% of your practice time from 100 to 175 yards. Hit to specific targets, not just ranges. Track your dispersion patterns. Work on controlling trajectory and spin. The goal isn’t distance. Its accuracy. Dedicate two practice sessions per week entirely to approach shots, hitting 50 balls to various yardages with different clubs.

Prefer Matsuyama’s scrambling strategy? Flip the script. Spend 60% of your practice time within 50 yards of the green. Hit chip shots from different lies. Practice bunker shots until you’re automatic. Then work on lag putting from 30 to 50 feet. The goal is simple: never make worse than bogey. Dedicate three sessions per week to short game, spending 20 minutes each on chipping, bunker play and putting.

Hisatsune seeks his first PGA TOUR victory. Matsuyama chases his third Phoenix Open title. They’ll play together in Saturday’s third round, only the second time they’ve been paired on TOUR.

Two players. Two strategies. One leaderboard. The beauty of golf is that there’s no single path to success. Hisatsune proved you can lead with precision. Matsuyama showed you can contend with creativity. This weekend at TPC Scottsdale, we’ll find out which approach prevails.