WASHINGTON: Hideki Matsuyama survived a back nine near-collapse to recover and win the PGA Tour’s St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis on Sunday.
The 32-year-old from Japan began the day with a five shot lead and was two-under for his round until he got into trouble with bogeys on the 12th and 14th and then a double bogey on the par-4 15th.
That allowed Xander Schauffele, who had started the day nine shots off the lead, and Norway’s Viktor Hovland to join in him in a three-way share of the lead on 15-under.
But with a possible three-way playoff or even worse looming for Matsuyama, he rediscovered his touch in the nick of time.
He sank a 26-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th to regain the lead and, with his rivals already in the clubhouse, needed just a par on the 18th to clinch the first of the three events that make up the FedEx Cup playoffs.
There was no sign of nerves, however, as he attacked the par-4 final hole, making birdie to end on 17-under with Schauffele and Hovland tied second.
“After the 14th hole, I was still two up, but I knew Viktor and Xander were playing 15, 16 ahead of me. I figured they would both get to 16-under. So when I was playing the 16th hole and looked at the scoreboard, sure enough, they were both at 16-under and I was a stroke back,” said Matsuyama.
“I felt today’s victory slipping away at that point because 17 and 18 are difficult holes enough, let alone to birdie them.
“But I was fortunate enough to birdie 17. Immediately I thought, oh, man, this is going to be a tough tee shot at 18. I’ve got to keep it in the fairway. I’m grateful I was able to do it,” he said.
The win was the 10th on the PGA Tour for Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters winner, and his second this season following his victory at the Genesis Invitational in California in February.
Matsuyama had to play this week with a stand-in caddie after his regular bag carrier had his passport stolen in London in a theft which also saw the golfer’s wallet stolen.
Schauffele, who triumphed in the PGA Championship and the British Open this year, was bogey free for his seven-under round of 63.
Hovland, who shot 66, got himself in real contention with birdies on the 15th and 16th but then made bogey on the 17th.
The playoff field will be cut to 50 for next week’s BMW Championship at Castle Rock, Colorado and then slimmed down further to 30 for the final event, the Tour Championship in Atlanta starting on August 29.
Scottie Scheffler is the current leader of the playoff standings with Schauffele second and Matsuyama projected to move up to third with this win.
Nick Dunlap, the 20-year-old American who turned professional in January afer winning The American Express tournament in California, pushed himself into the top-50 after finishing tied for fifth.
Matsuyama survives wobble to clinch St. Jude Championship
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Matsuyama survives wobble to clinch St. Jude Championship
- The win was the 10th on the PGA Tour for Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters winner, and his second this season following his victory at the Genesis Invitational in California in February
Mbappe double at Villarreal takes Real Madrid top of La Liga
VILA-REAL, Spain Kylian Mbappe netted twice to earn Real Madrid a 2-0 win at Villarreal on Saturday and take his side to the top of La Liga.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s team moved two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona, who host bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo on Sunday.
La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe reached 21 goals for the season in the competition to help Madrid see off a spirited Villarreal side, who are now fourth.
Arbeloa’s side have won three consecutive matches across all competitions and victory at Villarreal could be a vital step in the revival of their season.
After the shock Copa del Rey defeat at second-tier Albacete in Arbeloa’s first match at the helm just 10 days ago after replacing Xabi Alonso, his Madrid have started to take shape.
The coach has made clear how important his star players are and none has been more crucial this season than French superstar Mbappe, who has netted 34 times across all competitions.
Mbappe and Vinicius Junior “are the best players in the world, they are players who can really unbalance teams, we try to get the ball to them as much as possible,” Arbeloa told Real Madrid TV.
“They’re two players who... I’m really happy to have in this state of form and above all, because of the great work they are doing.
“They are really committed to the team, they are the first who are pressing... they’re giving this effort and solidarity that we need from them, so I’m very happy that their reward comes in the form of goals.”
It was a lively but imprecise start at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica, as the game glowed but neither side was able to seriously threaten.
Georges Mikautadze lashed a volley narrowly wide after veteran forward Gerard Moreno found him with a floating cross.
At the other end, Madrid midfielder Arda Guler fired straight at Villarreal stopper Luiz Junior after some tidy footwork, and then shot high over the bar at the end of a swift break.
Villarreal’s Juan Foyth limped off hurt in a blow for the hosts, who created a good chance for Pape Gueye just before the break.
The Senegal midfielder, a champion at the Africa Cup of Nations last weekend, powered narrowly wide of the post.
Vinicius, who excelled in Madrid’s 6-1 Champions League rout of Monaco in midweek, also came close with a rasping effort that sailed across Luiz Junior’s goal and wide.
The 25-year-old Brazil forward went a 13th straight La Liga match without scoring, but was involved as Mbappe found the net two minutes into the second half.
- ‘Nightmare for defenses’ -
Vinicius came into the box from the left flank and his low cross was blocked but Mbappe was on hand to squeeze home his 20th league goal of the campaign from close range.
“They are a nightmare for defenses,” said Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. “I hope they can keep bringing joy.”
Villarreal had the better of the second half as they worked hard to pull level, but Moreno spurned their best chance by firing inches over when well-placed.
In stoppage time, Mbappe was felled clumsily by Alfonso Pedraza in the box and the French forward cheekily dinked home the resulting penalty to seal Madrid’s victory.
Mbappe’s team-mate Brahim Diaz, who missed a similar attempted Panenka penalty for Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final, was on the pitch to see it as he returned to action for his club.
“For you,” Mbappe appeared to say to Diaz during the celebration, indicating it was a gesture of support.
“For me, the most important thing is that are united, we saw it last Wednesday with Vinicius’s goal and we saw it again today, with Brahim,” Arbeloa told reporters.
The Yellow Submarine are now 10 points behind leaders Madrid, having played one fewer match than Arbeloa’s side.
“We have to be a bit more accurate in attack against these kinds of teams,” admitted Villarreal midfielder Alberto Moleiro.
Elsewhere, fifth-placed Espanyol fell to a 3-2 defeat at Valencia that left them seven points behind Villarreal.
