The performance by Keita alone that week, where he finished a creditable 41st, validated the newly established Sony Open Challenge, and the young 21-year-old subsequently found himself standing greenside on the 18th hole watching a playoff between his idol, Matsuyama and Russell Henley. Matsuyama would hit one of the all-time shots in Sony Open history, nearly matching what Aoki had accomplished almost 39 years to the day, with a towering 3-wood from 276 yards which landed two feet on the par-5 18th for a winning eagle putt.