Hideki Matsuyama double bogeyed the final hole to drop into a three-way tie for the lead after the second round of the Paris Olympics golf tournament on Friday, August 2.
Matsuyama shot a 68 at Le Golf National to finish tied with defending Olympic champion Xander Schauffele of the United States and Britain's Tommy Fleetwood at 11-under 131, two ahead of Jon Rahm of Spain.
Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, pulled his tee shot on the par-4 18th hole into the rough. After blasting out, his third shot found the water at the side of the green before he holed an excellent 12-foot putt to avoid a triple.
"I'm glad I was able to finish in a good position," Matsuyama said, according to Kyodo News. "When the wind blows it's tough, and something like the last hole can happen, so I have to be well prepared."
Fleetwood took a bogey from a fairway bunker on 18 for a 64 while British Open winner Schauffele posted a 5-under 66.
Fleetwood has experience on his side. He won the French Open at Le Golf National in 2017 and was a member of Europe's Ryder Cup-winning team a year later at the same course.
"You are always better off coming to a course where you have good feelings and good things have happened," Fleetwood said, according to The Associated Press.
Matsuyama had three birdies against a pair of bogeys on the front nine. He found his rhythm after the turn with four birdies, including back-to-back on 16 and 17, before the meltdown on the final hole.
Reigning Olympic Golf Champion Chases Another Gold
Schauffele had seven birdies and two bogeys to put himself in a very good position to defend his Olympic title.
"Five under is a good score on this property," Schauffele was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. "Overall, sitting in a good spot coming into the weekend."
Japan's Keita Nakajima came in with his second straight 70 and is in a tie for 30th.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States is in contention after firing a 69 that left him tied for 10th at 6-under with Erik van Rooyen of South Africa and Joaquin Niemann of Chile.
Thomas Detry of Belgium had the day's lowest score of 8-under 63 to finish within three shots of the lead and tied for fifth along with 22-year-old Tom Kim of South Korea (68) and CT Pan of Taiwan (65), the bronze medalist from the Tokyo Games.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
