SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hideki Matsuyama was thrilled to play with fellow Japanese participant Ryo Hisatsune within the closing pairing on the Phoenix Open and hoped they might do it once more.
Hisatsune’s bogey on 18 put an finish to that.
Matsuyama might have greater issues to fret about with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler lurking.
Matsuyama shot a 3-under 68 regardless of some missed alternatives down the stretch to take a one-shot lead Saturday.
“Sort of a primary at this time for Japan to have two Japanese professionals play in a closing group,” Matsuyama mentioned by a translator. “I hoped we might do it tomorrow, however, once more, I hope tomorrow simply to play nicely and keep on prime.”
He’ll have to after Scheffler labored his means up the leaderboard at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course for the second straight day.
In peril of lacking his first reduce since 2022 with a shaky first spherical, Scheffler backed up a second-round 65 with a 67 on Saturday to tug inside 5 photographs.
He’s been on this place earlier than, rallying from 9 photographs all the way down to win the 2022 Phoenix Open for his first PGA Tour victory.
“Going to wish a particular spherical,” he mentioned. “I’ll be beginning on the entrance 9 tomorrow, so if I can get on the market and make a couple of birdies on the more durable 9 and get some momentum going into the again, you by no means know what can occur.”
Catching Matsuyama might be robust.
The Japanese star did not get up-and-down from close to the inexperienced on the brief par-4 seventeenth and left a 15-foot birdie putt on the lip at 18, however nonetheless completed at 13-under 200.
The 2-time Phoenix Open champion was tied with Hisatsune after 17 holes, however took the outright lead into the ultimate spherical after his countryman did not get up-and-down from the greenside bunker for a bogey on 18. Hisatsune shot 70 to complete at 12 beneath.
Nicolai Hojgaard had 5 birdies his closing six holes to shoot a bogey-free 65. Maverick McNealy had a stretch of 4 birdies in 5 holes on the again 9 to shoot 65. Si Woo Kim had an eagle on the par-5 third gap to shoot 66 and be a part of them at 12 beneath.
“There’s a whole lot of guys there on the prime that might be battling, so I simply have to play nicely,” Matsuyama mentioned.
Hisatsune shot 63 within the second spherical to surge forward of Matsuyama by a shot, establishing a third-round “dream” closing pairing with the participant who impressed so many younger Japanese gamers.
Neither might get a lot happening the entrance 9.
Matsuyama had birdies on three of his first 4 holes, together with a 27-footer over a swale on the par-3 fourth. He additionally bogeyed Nos. 2 and 5 when he couldn’t get up-and-down, making the flip at 1 beneath 34.
Hisatsune couldn’t acquire a lot traction, both, delivering even par with two birdies and two pars.
Matsuyama birdied the par-4 tenth gap and added one other with a two putt on the par-5 thirteenth to take the lead at 13, however closed with 5 straight pars.
Hisatsune additionally birdied 10 and acquired up and down on the brief par-4 seventeenth for birdie to tie for the lead earlier than he missed an 8-foot par putt on 18.
“I am comfortable to be minus-1, so prepared for tomorrow,” Hisatsune mentioned by an interpreter.
A grip change altered Scheffler’s outlook after a shaky 73 within the first spherical.
Scheffler had his first birdie on the par-4 eighth and holed out a bunker shot at No. 10 for the primary of consecutive birdies. He adopted a three-putt bogey on the par-3 twelfth by getting up and down for birdie on the 2 back-nine par 5s, 13 and 15.
Scheffler missed a birdie putt on No. 16, could not get up-and-down from pin excessive on the par-4 seventeenth and missed one other birdie on 18.
“I really feel very snug the place I’m at and the place my recreation is at,” he mentioned.
That would spell bother for the remainder of the sector, even at 5 photographs again.
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