It has become one of the most enthralling rivalries early in the new golfing season. In his last six starts around the world Hideki Matsuyama has won four times and finished second twice. On both occasions he lost, the winner was Justin Thomas. 

The first time came in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, and now the Japanese star has lost in the first US PGA Tour event of 2017, the SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua (Hawaii). Down by five shots with five to play, Matsuyama carded a sublime eagle on the 14th hole, then Thomas suffered a double bogey setback on the 15th hole to set the stage for a tight finish. Thomas proved to be the more resilient, ripping a stunning eight-iron approach to one metre on the 17th and adding another birdie on the last for a four-under 69 and three-shot victory.

“Justin had a little trouble at 15 and then I was really in it,” said Matsuyama. “But my putter let me down there at 16, 17 and 18. I tip my hat to Justin. He played well all day long… He deserved it.”

With both players now heading to the Sony Open (in Honolulu) their new-found rivalry as number one and two in the FedExCup continues this week. Twenty-four-year-old Matsuyama is just 36 points ahead of Thomas (23) in the season-long points race. 

Thomas, who finished at 22-under 270, is the first multiple winner on the PGA Tour in a season that began last October, and he moves to number 12 in the world. It was his third career victory, both having come at the CIMB Classic.

Reporting on Thomas’s latest victory, the Tour said, “The maturity growth is quite visible. Thomas has gone from a sometimes-frustrated kid – stuck around the shadows of fellow young stars like Jordan Spieth, and the man he conquered again in Hideki Matsuyama – to a determined young man carving out a significant narrative of his own.”

Admitted the man himself, “I think it drove me a lot. I wasn't mad, but it was maybe a little frustrating sometimes seeing some friends and peers my age do well. Not because I wasn't cheering for them because I feel like I was as good as them. It's just immature of me. I mean, the fact of the matter is, over the course of a long career, we're going to beat each other. That's just how it is. I think now, I feel so much more comfortable. I really do. Maybe the first time in Malaysia when I won, I was maybe kind of like, what am I doing here, but now it's like, okay, I belong here, I should be here.”

Spieth, his best friend in golf since they were teenagers, expected this to be just the start for Thomas. "I think it's potentially floodgates opening. The guy hits it forever. He's got a really, really nifty short game. He manages the course well. He's playing the golf course the way it should be played and, honestly, he's taking advantage of the easier holes. It's awesome to see. He's going to be tough to beat next week, too."

Spieth, who joined Jimmy Walker on the 18th to both congratulate the winner, had closed with a 65 to tie for third with Pat Perez and Ryan Moore.

World number Jason Day finished outside the top 10 in Kapalua for the first time in four attempts, having returned to action after a three-month sabbatical to rehab a back injury. After finishing tied for 12th, nine shots behind Thomas, the Australian said, “It was up-and-down. Obviously, there's a lot of soft mistakes out there with the short game. I've got to re-learn to control my emotions again, deep down inside, not get too frustrated with myself.”

Day and his family were due to remain in Maui for a few days for some holiday time before he heads to his Palm Springs practice facility at the Vintage Club, where he will begin a short game boot camp with coach and caddie Col Swatton in preparation for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, a title he won in 2015.