Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune would have preferred to take a second trip to Augusta National for the Masters Tournament but he will take solace by securing a first Signature event start at the RBC Heritage next week.

The 22-year-old rising star posted a tied fifth finish at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday for his third top-10 of the season on the PGA TOUR, which already sees him exceeding his rookie campaign in 2024 where he posted a lone top-10.

Hisatsune fought to a closing 2-over 74 in tough conditions at TPC San Antonio where his 4-under total left him five shots behind winner Brian Harman, who shot a 75 to win by three from Ryan Gerard (69).

“Much cold, so much wind, like it (is a) tough day. 15 holes is good playing, last four hole like a little bogey and I’m so sad, but like 68 holes is good playing I think,” said Hisatsune, who traded three birdies against five bogeys during his final round.

Featuring in his second season on the PGA TOUR, Hisatsune is slowly finding his feet in the U.S. and he will have another opportunity to test himself against the game’s elite at next week’s US$20 million RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, which is the fifth Signature event of the year.

His run of good form, which includes a T10 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta and T4 at the Valspar Championship, saw him finish fourth in the AON Swing 5 ranking which helped earn his RBC Heritage spot.

Much of his improvements has been from off the tee where the likeable Japanese has taken advantage of his consistent driving. He ranked 101^st in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee last season, but was ranked fourth in Texas in the same category.

With his confidence soaring, Hisatsune, who was invited to play in the Masters last season after winning on the DP World Tour in 2023, hopes to challenge for a first PGA TOUR victory very soon which would come with a Masters invitation.“Like two weeks ago in Valspar, I finished T-4. It’s some confidence right now, and this week is a good finish. Played with confidence, but I have to grind more to keep up. I want to win,” he said.

Weather: Partly cloudy and windy. High of 60. Wind NNW 12-16 mph, gusting to 28 mph.

Final-Round Leaderboard

Brian Harman (Won/-9)

• Fourth career PGA TOUR title in his 377^th start at the age of 38 years, 2 months, 18 days; oldest winner on TOUR since Patton Kizzire won the 2024 Procore Championship at the age of 38 years, 6 months, 12 days
• PGA TOUR wins (4): 2014 John Deere Classic, 2017 Truist Championship, 2023 Open Championship, 2025 Valero Texas Open
• Earns 500 FedExCup points and moves from No. 83 to No. 19 in the FedExCup standings
• Projected to move inside the top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking (from No. 49)

• Second left-handed player to win this season: Joe Highsmith (2025 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches)
• Second straight left-handed player to win the Valero Texas Open (Akshay Bhatia/2024); both players won on the same day in July of 2023 (Harman/Open Championship, Bhatia/Barracuda Championship)
• Moves to 3-for-5 to date in converting the 54-hole lead/co-lead to victory (2014 John Deere Classic, 2023 Open Championship, 2025 Valero Texas Open)
• 75 is the highest finish by a winner on TOUR since Jon Rahm won the 2020 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday with the same score; highest by a Valero Texas Open winner since Steven Bowditch shot 76 in 2014
• Becomes the third straight (eighth overall) 54-hole leader/co-leader to win this season (Viktor Hovland/Valspar Championship, Min Woo Lee/Texas Children’s Houston Open)
• Becomes the third 36-hole leader/co-leader to win in 15 events this season (Hideki Matsuyama/The Sentry, Thomas Detry/WM Phoenix Open)
• Joins Matsuyama and Detry as the only players this season to win after holding both the 36- and 54-hole leads
• Wins in his eighth career start at the Valero Texas Open, with a T16 in 2014 being his previous-best finish
• Wins in his 37^th start since his last victory at the 2023 Open Championship
• Wins in his 10^th start of the season (previous-best: T17/The Genesis Invitational)

Miscellaneous Notes

• Ryan Gerard (2^nd) posts back-to-back top-10s for the first time in his career (9^th/Texas Children’s Houston Open); marks his best finish among four career top-10 finishes (previous: 4^th/2023 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches)
• Maverick McNealy (T3) finishes inside the top 10 for the fourth time in 10 starts this season (best: 2^nd/The Genesis Invitational)
• In his 98^th career start and bidding for his first PGA TOUR title, Andrew Novak (T3) picks up his second top-three finish of the season (3^rd/Farmers Insurance Open); bogeyed four of his last six holes to finish four back
• Patrick Fishburn (T5) made a 105’8” putt for eagle on No. 17, marking the longest putt on the PGA TOUR since Craig Barlow made a 111’5” putt during the final round of the 2008 Buick Open (No. 1)
• Bud Cauley (T5) earns his third top-10 finish of the season, his most in a season since the 2016-17 season (5)

• Corey Conners and Zach Johnson both finish T18 in bid to join Arnold Palmer and Justin Leonard as the only three-time winners of the Valero Texas Open

• Five players earn spots in the next Signature Event on the schedule, the RBC Heritage, via the Aon Swing 5: No. 1 Ryan Gerard, No. 2 Karl Vilips, No. 3 Gary Woodland, No. 4 Ryo Hisatsune, No. 5 Sami Valimaki.