Masters champ Matsuyama wins by 5 shots in Japan
Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama had three birdies in five holes on the back nine and eagled the 18th for good measure for a fivestroke victory at the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, on Sunday.
It was Matsuyama’s first PGA Tour win in his native Japan, although he’s only had one previous attempt. In 2019, Tiger Woods won the inaugural Zozo Championship, the first PGA Tour event in Japan, and last year the tournament was moved to California due to COVID19 travel restrictions.
Matsuyama finished with a 65 and a 15-under total of 265 at Narashino Country Club. It was his seventh PGA Tour victory.
If there was any doubt, Matsuyama hit a three-wood to about 12 feet with his second shot on the par-5 18th and made the eagle putt.
Asked when he thought he had won his home tournament, Matsuyama said through an interpreter: “Probably my second shot at 18, that was probably the clincher.”
“It was one of my biggest goals to win in front of the Japanese fans here in this country as well,” he added. “So happy that I’ll be able to accomplish that. Also, in 2019 Tiger won the Masters and went on to win the Zozo Championship, so I’m glad that I would be able to emulate that as well.”
Americans were tied for second at 10-under: Brendan Steele shot 66 and Cameron Tringale 69.
Tringale trailed Matsuyama by two strokes going to the 18th hole but the Japanese player’s eagle and the American’s bogey made it a five-shot cushion.
“I needed to kind of take a couple risks and unfortunately it didn’t pan out, but I played 16 really good holes and yeah, that was the day,” Tringale said.
British Open champion Collin Morikawa had a finalround 69 and finished 10 strokes behind Matsuyama.
Tokyo Olympics champion Xander Schauffele shot 68 and was at even par on the tournament while Rickie Fowler had his second consecutive 71 and finished 3 over.
“It wasn’t quite the same experience, didn’t play as well, but I enjoyed being here despite the lockdown and COVID rules,” Schauffele said. “I saw some of my family here, which was really cool. I don’t get a big opportunity to see them, so that was kind of the shining moment for me.”
The PGA Tour’s only stop on the Asia swing attracted only three of the top 20 players in the world rankings.
Jin Young Ko set to move to No. 1
Jin Young Ko birdied her first playoff hole with fellow South Korean player Hee Jeong Lim to win the BMW Ladies Championship in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday.
The LPGA Tour said Ko is projected to become world No. 1 with the win, overtaking American Nelly Korda.
Ko was No. 1-ranked from July 20, 2019, to June 27, 2021, a streak of 100 consecutive weeks, and was also world No. 1 for 12 weeks in early 2019. It was Ko’s 11th career LPGA win.
“I wasn’t too conscious, actually, of the ranking,” Ko said. “I always feel if your game is in good form and you keep at it, you can reach that ranking . ... I felt if I kept at it and worked hard this year I might have a chance within this year.”
Lim led by four strokes going into the final round, but Ko’s 8-under 64 moved her to 22-under 266, level with Lim after her finalround 68.
It was Ko’s first playoff in an LPGA tournament.
“I wasn’t that nervous going into the playoff. I think I was feeding off the confidence I had during the round,” she said. “When I was heading to the tee, I turned to Dave (caddie Dave Brooker) and I told him that this was my first playoff ever, and he smiled, and he said, ‘Welcome.’ And that helped me ease those nerves.”
Four players were tied for third, four strokes behind, including South Korean-born New Zealander Lydia Ko after a 64.
Going into the tournament, Jin Young Ko had 14 straight rounds in the 60s, tying her with Annika Sorenstam (2005) and So Yeon Ryu (2015-17) for the most in tour history.
But Ko finished with a 1-under 71 on Thursday to end the streak. She’s now started a new one, shooting 64-67-64 to finish the tournament.