Matsuyama grabs one-stroke lead after firing a 63
Hideki Matsuyama has never missed the Tour Championship in Medinah, Illinois, since his first full year on the PGA Tour. He played Friday like he doesn’t want the streak to end.
Outside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup for the first time at the BMW Championship, Matsuyama made five birdie putts from 15 feet or longer and broke the course record at Medinah with a 9under 63 for a one-shot lead going into the weekend.
He started his second round with a 30-foot birdie putt. He ended the round with a 30-foot birdie putt.
The explanation for what went right wasn’t that long.
“I did make a lot of long putts today, and that was the difference,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter.
That was a big difference for Tiger Woods, too.
He made only two putts longer than 6 feet, made a pair of bogeys from the bunkers late in the round and had to settle for another 71. Woods, who needs a top 10 to advance to the Tour Championship, was tied for 49th.
“I left quite a few shots out there,” Woods said.
Matsuyama was at 12-under 132, one shot ahead of Patrick Cantlay (67) and Tony Finau (66). Justin Thomas made six birdies to offset three bogeys in his round of 69, leaving him two shots behind.
Cantlay, Finau and Thomas are all assured of being among the top 30 who advance to the Tour Championship next week, where everyone in the field will have a shot at winning the FedEx Cup and the $15 million prize.
Champions Tour: Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied three of the final six holes for a 7-under 65 and a share of the firstround lead with Monday qualifier Doug Barron in the PGA Tour Champions’ Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, New York.
Jimenez had eight birdies and a bogey at En Joie Golf Club. The 55-year-old Spaniard won the Chubb Classic in February in Florida for his seventh senior title.
The 50-year-old Barron had seven birdies in a bogey-free round. He’s coming off a fifth-place tie in the Senior British Open in his Champions debut.
Marco Dawson and Scott Parel were a stroke back at 66.
Kevin Sutherland was another stroke back with David McKenzie and Billy Andrade. Sutherland shot a 59 in the tournament five years ago.
Senior British Open winner Bernhard Langer shot a 68.