MATSUYAMA SOARS TO CHALLENGE LEAD ON EAGLE WINGS
AFP NASSAU, Bahamas: Hideki Matsuyama, seeking his fourth title in the past two months, fired a seven-under par 65 Saturday to seize a seven-stroke lead after the third round of the Hero World Challenge.
The 24-year-old Japanese standout eagled the par-4 seventh, his blast from the fairway taking a single bounce before dropping into the cup, and added seven birdies against two bogeys in the round.
“The eagle at seven was huge,” Matsuyama said. “I played well. Glad to get the score in I did.
“I feel kind of lucky up now.”
Matusyama stood on 19-under par 197 after 54 holes at the 18-player invitational event hosted by Tiger Woods, who is making his comeback this week after a 16-month back injury layoff.
“Hi d e k i until SYDNEY: Steve Smith record-breaking century took two superb catches as Australia beat New Zealand by 68 runs in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy one-day series opener in Sydney on Sunday.
Th e Australia skipper smashed 164 off 157 balls, the highest oneday international score at the Sydney Cricket Ground, to lead Australia to 324 for eight.
Man of the match Smith struck 14 fours and four sixes in his seventh ODI century after winning the toss to give the Black Caps a tough target to chase down.
Smith then took two great catches and paceman Josh Hazlewood claimed three wickets to dismiss the Kiwis for 256 in 44.2 overs.
Smith’s knock, the seventh highest by an Australian, surpassed South Africa’s AB de Villers 162 at the same ground in last year’s World Cup.
It was also the joint-highest by an Australia captain. Ricky Ponting also made 164 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006.
He then underlined is just playing unbelievable golf,” Woods said. “Hideki is just putting it on us. He’s at 19 now so he has built a nice cushion.”
Woods, a 14-time major champion, recalled first playing alongside Matsuyama at the 2013 British Open at Muirfield.
“Was very impressed,” Woods said. “This kid can really move the golf ball and thinks his way around the golf course. “It’s going to pay off.” Matsuyama hopes it pays off with another triumph at the elite Bahamas event after victories in October at the Japan Open and World Golf Championships HSBC Champions and last month at the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan.
“I can’t really think about the lead because everyone in the field can shoot eight or nine under,” Matsuyama said. “So I just have to keep my head down, keep grinding and do the best I can.” That respect includes concern that Woods cou ld make
up an hit and a his man- of-the-match qualities with two decisive catches in the Black Caps’ innings. It was his throat-high catch at slip that got a big breakthrough to dismiss skipper Kane Williamson for just nine. Sm i th later latched onto a flying onehanded screamer to dismiss BJ Watling for six off Mitchell Marsh, hurling himself to his left in the gully for a stunning catch. “I got a bit of luck. I was probably out lbw at one p oi nt ,” Smith said. “It’s nice to get my highest score at my home ground and post huge total. “We were able to get over the line, which was the most pleasing thing. I am sure New Zealand will hit back 11-stroke deficit even in only his fourth comeback round.
“Only Tiger could take a year and a half off and put up the numbers he’s putting up this week,” Matsuyama said. “I don’t care how many strokes I’m leading over him, I still worry about him, fear him.
“I’m just going to have to try my best tomorrow.”
But Matsuyama, a career-best sixth in the rankings, dreams of claiming the world number one spot once held by Woods.
“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it, but it’s going to take a lot of wins,” he said. “Hopefully tomorrow will be one of them.”
Matsuyama opened with a birdie and added others at the par-5 third and sixth holes before his eagle, hit with a 60-degree wedge from 80 yards after a 3-iron layup off the tee.
He followed with a bogey but birdied the par-5 11th and added birdies at the 14th and par-5 15th, then answered a bogey at 16 with a birdie at the par-3 17th.
“I’m not putting my best, but there are a lot of 18-, 20-footers finding the hole and that has really helped,” Matsuyama said.
Matsuyama gave some credit for his hot streak to a putting tip from Japanese rival Hiroshi Iwata, saying, “Since then it has kind of fallen into place and improving each week.” a AUSTRALIA D Warner b Ferguson............................... 24 A Finch b Henry ......................................... 0 S Smith c Munro b Boult........................ 164 G Bailey c Watling b Neesham ................ 17 M Marsh (run out) ..................................... 1 T Head c & b Boult.................................... 52 M Wade b Henry...................................... 38 P Cummins (not out) ................................. 0 M Starc c Watling b Neesham.................. 11 A Zampa (not out) ...................................... 2 Extras (LB-1, W-9, NB-5).......................... 15 Total (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) ............ 324 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-47, 3-89, 4-92, 5-219, 6-302, 7-311, 8-322. Bowling: Henry 10-0-74-2, Boult 10-1-512, Ferguson 9-0-73-1, De Grandhomme 6-027-0, Santner 9-0-40-0, Neesham 6-0-58-2. NEW ZEALAND M Guptill c Maxwell (sub) b Zampa ....... 114 T Latham b Hazlewood .............................. 2 K Williamson c Smith b Hazlewood........... 9 J Neesham c Hazlewood b Starc .............. 34 BJ Watling c Smith b Marsh ...................... 6 C Munro c Bailey b Cummins .................. 49 M Santner c Warner b Zampa .................... 0 C de Grandhomme lbw Hazlewood .......... 6 M Henry c Bailey b Cummins .................. 27 L Ferguson b Marsh ................................... 0 T Boult (not out) ......................................... 1 Extras (LB-4, W-4) ..................................... 8 Total (all out; 44.2 overs) .............. 256 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-34, 3-126, 4-140, 5-185, 6-187, 7-203, 8-253, 9-255. Bowling: Starc 7-1-37-1, Hazlewood 10-049-3, Marsh 8.2-1-38-2, Cummins 9-0-62-2, Zampa 10-0-66-2. hard.” Opener Martin Guptill raised his 11th ODI century with a mighty six off Marsh over long-on off 93 balls and was his side’s major hope of reeling in Australia’s huge target.
But leg-spinner Adam Zampa coaxed Guptill into a false shot to get the big wicket. NEW DELHI: India’s Mukesh Kumar fired a crucial birdie on the 15th hole to set up his first Asian Tour victory at the Panasonic Open India golf tournament in New Delhi on Sunday.
Kumar, 51, who became the oldest player to win an Asian Tour title, carded 67, 69 and 70 for a total of 10-under 206 in the fog-hit tournament, which was reduced to three rounds and 54 holes.
Kumar, who started the day with an overnight lead of two shots at eight-under, shot three birdies against a lone bogey on the final day to outshine compatriots Jyoti Randhawa and Rashid Khan, who finished tied second.
“I am very proud of myself. I have waited 32 years (since turning professional) for this. It is different from the 123 wins that I have had on the domestic Tour earlier,” said Kumar, who secured an Asian Tour card for the next two years.
Kumar, who led each of the three rounds, was tied with Randhawa twice in the day before taking the lead at the 15th hole and scoring pars in the final three to pocket a winning purse of $72,000.
“The 20-footer that I made for birdie on 15 was the decisive putt for me. I knew I had a good chance after sinking that putt. I told myself I just need to par the last three holes,” Kumar told reporters.
“Even though I know Jyoti was just one shot back and he has a good chance on 18 being a long-hitter, I didn’t think too much about that. I just focused on what I need to do,” he added.
Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera, at 8-under 208, finished fourth. The other top 10 places on the final leaderboard belonged to Indian players.
The 2015 champion Chirag Kumar of India finished tied 15th in the 73-player field in the final round. LEADING SCORES AFTER THE FINAL ROUND OF THE PANASONIC OPEN INDIA ON SUNDAY AT THE DELHI GOLF COURSE (PAR 72): 206 - Mukesh Kumar (IND) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 67-69-70 207 - Jyoti Randhawa (IND) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 67-72-68 207 - Rashid Khan (IND) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 67-72-68 208 - Mithun Perera (SRI) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 70-68-70 209 - Honey Baisoya (IND) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 73-69-67 210 - Shankar Das (IND) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 71-67-72 211 - Shamim Khan (IND) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 67-74-70 211 - Sanjeev Kumar (IND) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 71-69-71 211 - Kapil Kumar (IND) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 68-72-71 211 - Khalin Joshi (IND) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 67-71-73