{"id":44632,"date":"2026-03-18T08:42:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/rory-mcilroy-tells-tiger-woods-that-hideki-matsuyama-is-better-than-anyone-else-in-golf\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T08:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:42:27","slug":"rory-mcilroy-tells-tiger-woods-that-hideki-matsuyama-is-better-than-anyone-else-in-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/rory-mcilroy-tells-tiger-woods-that-hideki-matsuyama-is-better-than-anyone-else-in-golf\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy tells Tiger Woods that Hideki Matsuyama is better than anyone else in golf"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/rory-mcilroy-tells-tiger-woods-that-hideki-matsuyama-is-better-than-anyone-else-in-golf\/#Rory_McIlroy_says_Hideki_Matsuyama_is_the_best_in_the_world\" >Rory McIlroy says Hideki Matsuyama is the best in the world<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/rory-mcilroy-tells-tiger-woods-that-hideki-matsuyama-is-better-than-anyone-else-in-golf\/#Why_Hideki_Matsuyama_is_the_best_player_in_the_world_from_30_yards\" >Why Hideki Matsuyama is the best player in the world from 30 yards<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Hideki Matsuyama may be the most underrated player in golf. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 2011 Masters winner, an 11-time PGA Tour winner and former No. 2 in the world, was one playoff hole away from winning this year&#8217;s WM Phoenix Open.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>However, while the Japanese superstar may not be getting enough recognition from his fans, he certainly is recognized by his peers. The greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods, and fellow career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy recently shared their praises at TGL.<\/p>\n<p>And McIlroy said Matsuyama is doing better than anyone else in the world.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"content-figure\">\n<div class=\"content-image\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"lightbox-btn\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"lightbox-expand\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Image Lightbox\" class=\"lightbox-overlay\" aria-modal=\"true\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<p>Photo by Stacey Revere\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rory_McIlroy_says_Hideki_Matsuyama_is_the_best_in_the_world\"><\/span>Rory McIlroy says Hideki Matsuyama is the best in the world<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>McIlroy was microphoned at TGL, and his conversation with Woods was cut for social media.<\/p>\n<p>In the video, McIlroy talks about playing with Matsuyama at The Players and realized he was better than everyone else.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The Northern Irishman told Woods: &#8220;I played with Hideki last week and I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s anyone better than him with pitch shots of 30 yards or so. He&#8217;s just amazing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As one of the best wedge players on the planet, McIlroy rates incredibly highly. And Woods enthusiastically nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n<p>But do the statistics back up McIlroy&#8217;s statements?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Hideki_Matsuyama_is_the_best_player_in_the_world_from_30_yards\"><\/span>Why Hideki Matsuyama is the best player in the world from 30 yards<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Statistically speaking, Matsuyama is the best player in the world in that particular 30-yard range. While many fans focus on his ball striking and signature pose at the top of his swing, the numbers show his short game is his true superpower.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, at distances of 20 to 30 yards, which often separates the elite from the average, Matsuyama&#8217;s efficiency is astonishing.<\/p>\n<p>As of the 2026 PGA Tour season, Matsuyama consistently ranks in the top five in strokes gained around the greens. He currently ranks fifth in his division with 0.61 strokes per round.<\/p>\n<p>This means he&#8217;s getting more than half as many strokes on the field every round, just because he&#8217;s better on pitches like chips and from 30 yards.<\/p>\n<p>From a range of 20 to 30 yards, Matsuyama&#8217;s scrambles are a statistical outlier. His scramble rate has been hovering around 78-80% lately, which is unusually high for a shot from this distance.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>At his peak, such as at the WM Phoenix Open, he recorded a high scramble rate of 92.3%, and has continued to strive to get closer to par almost every time he misses the green.<\/p>\n<p>Matsuyama is also consistently ranked in the top 20 in overall close performance. At distances of 20-30 yards, his average close performance is significantly better than the tour average, often making putts within 5-8 feet and converting them at a high rate to save par.<\/p>\n<p>That said, McIlroy&#8217;s statement is completely accurate.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"content-list\">\n<li\/><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hideki Matsuyama may be the most underrated player in golf. The 2011 Masters winner, an 11-time PGA Tour winner and former No. 2 in the world, was one playoff hole away from winning this year&#8217;s WM Phoenix Open. advertisement However, while the Japanese superstar may not be getting enough recognition from his fans, he certainly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[17],"class_list":{"0":"post-44632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-golf"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}