Japanese prospect Ryo Hisatsune produced an impressive tied fourth finish at the Valspar Championship on Sunday to notch his second top-10 of the season on the PGA Tour.
The 22-year-old Hisatsune fired a closing 3-under 68 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course to end the week on 8-under, three back of winner Viktor Hovland who shot a final round 67 to earn his seventh PGA Tour victory. Justin Thomas finished runner-up following a 66.
Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu enjoyed a tied 12th finish after signing off with a 71 for 5-under while South Korea’s Byeong Hun An was a further stroke back in a share of 16th position after a 71 as well.
Hisatsune, playing in his second season on Tour, produced some short game magic in his final round which included five birdies against two bogeys as he hit only 10 greens in regulation.
“I was aiming for the title, so it’s disappointing that it wasn’t enough but I think it was good we were able to play in such a good shape,” said Hisatsune, who earned his PGA Tour status through the DP World Tour in 2023 where he won once in France.
He was particular pleased with how he drove the ball all week at the demanding Copperhead Course – he ranked 13th all week in Strokes Gained: Driving – and was top-10 in Putting (8th) and Around the Green (9th) during the final round which kept him on the leaderboard down the stretch.
“The short game got better and better this week,” said Hisatsune, who finished T10 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta last month.
Hisatsune’s fine run has also given a chance to qualify for the next Signature event, the RBC Heritage next month, as he moved into tied fourth place in the Aon Swing 5 ranking. The top-5 players through the Valero Texas Open will earn spots in the event. His second top-10 of the season has also surpassed last year’s achievement where he had only one top-10, along with six top-25s as he safely retained his Tour card.
Viktor Hovland of Norway. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Hovland, the 2023 FedExCup champion, triumphed at the Valspar Championship on 11-under, one clear of a fast-charging Justin Thomas, who bogeyed two of his final three holes. It was a welcome return into the winner’s enclosure for Hovland following his last triumph at the 2023 TOUR Championship.
“It feels unbelievable. It’s been quite the struggle the past year and a half, so for me to come back and win this tournament is quite incredible because, yeah, I was not very hopeful with my game leading into this week and just goes to show this game is pretty crazy,” said Hovland, who entered the week on the back of three successive missed cuts.
“Just tried to go out there and play my game and I knew I didn’t feel super comfortable or confident, but I was really patient and just tried to play really smart and I think that’s a credit kind of to myself this week is that I almost felt like I played this week like a veteran, like I’ve been out here for 20 years. Just really plotted my way around the course really nicely. I hit a bad shot and it didn’t really faze me all at that much. I leaned on my putting, hit a lot of great iron shots, so, yeah, it was awesome.”
