Tony C. McCray Blog: Matsuyama Takes 3-Stroke Lead to Sunday at Shanghai

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Matsuyama Takes 3-Stroke Lead to Sunday at Shanghai

Hideki Matsuyama held the lead throughout the third round the WGC-HSBC Champions on Saturday, finishing with a 68 to lead by three stokes after 54 holes.

Defending champion Russell Knox is three strokes back at 14-under after matching Matsuyama’s 68. Only three other players are within five strokes of the lead: American Daniel Berger is 13-under while the US’ Bill Haas and Italy’s Francesco Molinari are 5-under.

“I’m going to have to be foot down, be aggressive and try and catch him,” Knox said. “He’s playing very well. He drove the ball in play a lot. He’s an extremely aggressive iron player, and when he’s on, he’s as good as anyone. I’m not going to give up my title without a big fight tomorrow. I look forward to every minute and see what happens.”

Matsuyama had a bogey-free round with four birdies to maintain his lead. A win would be Matsuyama’s second of the calendar year and his biggest overall to date. He won the 2016 Waste Management Open and the 2014 Memorial.

It’s been a strong 2016 for Matsuyama who finished tied for seventh at The Masters and tied for fourth at the PGA Championship.