Matsuyama too hot at Firestone
FINAL ROUND: JAPANESE BURNS FIELD IN BLISTERING 61
Hideki Matsuyama fired a course record-equalling nineunder-par 61 on Sunday to win the Bridgestone Invitational by five strokes for a second World Golf Championships win.
The Japanese world No 3 won the title with an eagle and seven birdies. His 16-under total of 264 put him five ahead of two-time Major winner Zach Johnson, who closed with a 68 for 269.
Matsuyama, the first player from Asia to win one of golf’s elite WGC titles, added the Bridgestone trophy to the HSBC Champions crown he claimed in October.
The dominant performance came in the final tune-up event for golf’s best before the last major of the season, the PGA Championship next week at Quail Hollow in North Carolina.
Matsuyama kick-started his round with an eagle at the par-five second, where he chipped in from just off the green.
He capped his round with birdies at 16, 17 and 18 to join Jose Maria Olazabal, Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia as the only players to shoot 61 on Firestone’s South Course.
“In fact, I played with Tiger four years ago when he shot 61, so I knew 61 was the number today,” Matsuyama said. “I knew if I birdied 16, 17 and 18 I could get there.”
He did – rolling in a six-footer at the last – and will go into the PGA Championship a hot favourite to become the first Japanese man to win a Major – although he noted that he’s never been particularly successful in the PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow.
“All I can do is my best,” Matsuyama said.
That was certainly good enough on Sunday – although Matsuyama said he had no expectation of such a round after his pre-round practice.
“You wouldn’t have believed how I warmed up,” he said.
“I was not hitting it good on the range. I did hit some good shots, but I was nervous all the way around.”
British Open champion Jordan Spieth, who will be pursuing a career Grand Slam at the PGA Championship, carded a 68 that left him in a group sharing 13th on 276. –