Matsuyama runs away with it
Closing 61 leads to five-stroke victory
Hideki Matsuyama warmed up poorly and then turned in the best round of his career at the Bridgestone Invitational, a 9-under 61 that tied the course record and gave him another blowout victory in a World Golf Championship in Akron, Ohio.
It was the lowest final round in four decades at Firestone Country Club and led to a five-shot victory over Zach Johnson.
Matsuyama knew from experience that the course record was a 61 because he was in the same group when Tiger Woods shot 61 in the second round in 2013.
All it would take was birdies on the last three holes, and like everything else Sunday, the 25-yearold from Japan made it look easy.
“I knew 61 was the number,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter. “I was thinking about that at 16. I knew if I birdied 16, 17, 18 I could get there.”
Matsuyama, who began the final round two shots behind Johnson and Thomas Pieters, finished at 15-under 265.
Johnson, winless since his British Open victory two years ago at St. Andrews, pulled within one shot with a long birdie putt at the 11th, but he could do no better than pars the rest of the way and shot 68.
Pieters was never in the game after missing 4foot par putts on successive holes to close out the front nine. He closed with a 71.
Baracuda Championship: Chris Stroud made an eagle on his final hole to get to get into a three-man playoff and won with a two-putt birdie on the second extra hole in Reno, Nevada.
Greg Owen and Richy Werenski, who each birdied the par-5 18th, were also in the playoff.
The tournament is the PGA Tour’s only Stableford scoring event. The system awards eight points for a double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts a point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.
LPGA Tour: I.K. Kim won the Women’s British Open, hanging on with a 1under 71 for a two-shot victory and her first major championship.
She had a six-shot lead going into the final round in St. Andrews, Scotland, and it was hard work.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England put enormous pressure on Kim by closing with a 64. She got within two shots of the 29-yearold South Korean, but Kim held her nerve down the closing stretch and closed with nine straight pars.
Champions Tour: Paul Goydos birdied the first playoff hole to win the 3M Championship over Gene Sauers.
Both Goydos and Sauers shot 66 in regulation to get to 20-under 196 in Blaine, Minn.
Kevin Sutherland shot 64 to tie for third with Madison’s Steve Stricker (66) and Brandt Jobe (67), two shots back.
Madison’s Jerry Kelly (67) and Fox Point native Skip Kendall (69) finished back in the pack.