Hideki Matsuyama brings the storm with career-best round to take Masters lead
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, tees off on the 14th hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament on Saturday, April 10, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Mother Nature provided a brief reprieve from the terrors of Augusta National on Saturday. Hideki Matsuyama brought the storm.
Matsuyama came out after a 75-minute weather delay to finish his last eight holes on a softened golf course and quickly got the measure of it while many others struggled with the change of pace, playing the final eight holes in 6-under to shoot career-best 65 at Augusta and reach 11 under and build a four-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
“This will be a new experience for me being a leader going into the final round of a major,” said Matsuyama, who has finished sixth or better in every major but is still searching for that elusive victory.
Four players sit tied second at 7-under four shots back – Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman, Will Zalatoris and Justin Rose, who hung on to shoot another 72 after he jumped to the fore this week with a late-charging opening-round 65 of his own.
“Obviously once that little band of storm was approaching, wind really picked up and sort of 6 and 7 became pretty tricky for that 30 minutes before the horn went, and then after that it was a very different feel,” said Rose.
“There was sort of like 30 or 40 minutes where it was pretty calm, wasn't any rain, course softened up, and there was an opportunity, I think, obviously as Hideki proved, to make some birdies.”
Schauffele, who played with Matsuyama Saturday, will get to share the final pairing with him again after a Saturday 68 that included a 61-foot eagle putt on 15 before Matsuyama sank a short eagle putt of his own.
“So it wasn't quite as nice as Hideki's cleanup there on the last few holes, but I'll take it,” said Schaufelle. “I was happy to make my 60-foot eagle putt on 15. I knew Hideki was going to make his. I was just trying to stay in touch.”
Leishman, who will play in the penultimate pairing with Rose, and Masters rookie Zalatoris also finished 7-under with rounds of 70 and 71 respectively.
“Obviously if Hideki plays well, he can control his own destiny, I guess,” said Leishman. “But a lot can happen around here. I've seen it. I mean, I played with Scottie (Adam Scott) the year he won. I've seen what can happen. I've had bad rounds here myself and I've had good rounds. You can make up four shots fairly quickly, but you have to do a lot of things right to do that.”
Said Zalatoris, who tied for sixth in only his second major start at the U.S. Open in September: “I've been wanting to do this my entire career, and I put myself in a pretty good spot. Obviously, I'm four shots back, so I've got a good chance.”
Corey Conners of Canada is alone in sixth at 6-under after a Saturday 68 that included and ace on No. 6 while Jordan Spieth scrambled to a roller-coaster 72 and is alone in seventh at 5-under.
“I feel like I've been in a groove with the ball striking for the last while,” said Conners. “The shot on 6 was obviously really special and kind of sparked things a little bit. … Just hopefully can keep striking the irons really well (Sunday) and give myself some looks on the front nine to have a chance to make a run on the back nine.”
Matsuyama has long and a special connection with Augusta National ever since he won consecutive Asian Amateur Championships in 2010 and ’11 to qualify twice for the Masters. He collected the silver trophy for low amateur exactly 10 years ago in the Butler Cabin, playing just a month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami decimated his hometown in Japan.
“Playing here for the first time after I won the first Asia-Pacific Amateur, it was a difficult time in Japan because the earthquake and tsunami had just hit, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to come or not,” he said.
“But I came and fortunately was able to finish low amateur, and that experience … knowing I could play with other professionals really gave me a lot of confidence. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to the members of Augusta National because I wouldn't be here today without them.” He’s finished in the top 20 five of his previous six years at Augusta including a solo fifth in 2015. This marks the 29-year-old’s 10th Masters start.
“There’s something about that special place that really gets me motivated to play the best I can,” he said a few years ago.
“I love Augusta National and enjoy going back there every year. Hopefully through playing there a number of times now I’ve learned what it takes to win. Hopefully my experience I’ve been able to gain will help me learn how to win my first major. I hope it will be there at Augusta.”
Now here he is poised to make it happen just eight days after 17-year-old Tsubasa Kajitani became the first player from Japan or Asia to win at Augusta, rallying to win the second Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship in a playoff.
Matsuyama missed watching her performance as he was playing in the Valero Texas Open, but her surprising victory serves as an inspiration.
“It was fantastic and I hope I can follow in her shoes and again make Japan proud,” he said.
Things were volatile before play was temporarily suspended due to dangerous weather. The leaders were scoring early, with Rose making two quick birdies the stay three ahead of what was at one point a six-way tie for second at 6-under with hard-charging Conners, Justin Thomas, Spieth and Leishman joining Zalatoris and Brian Harman in the chase pack trying to reel Rose in.
Then the wind started kicking up a fuss and everyone started collecting some bogeys or worse while Matsuyama avoided any blemishes on his scorecard made a birdie to rise atop the fray into second when the horn was blown.
Players returned to the course 75 minutes later to calmer conditions and a slightly softer and dampened course, forcing mid-round adjustments to the speed of greens that had been treacherous all week.
While Rose, Spieth, Conners and Thomas – whose sloppy triple bogey on 13 scuttled his bid – were struggling to take advantage of the softer, slower course and hang on, Matsuyama started knocking down flags and making putts. His lone hiccup was a three-putt par on the 13th before he’d figured out the speed change.
“You want to play with someone who's going to shoot 7-under,” said Schauffele of seeing Matsuyama’s flawless back-nine 30 up close. “You hope that it's yourself, and if not you chase. You'd rather play with someone that's shooting 65 than shooting 74. It was nice to chase after him. He's an incredible iron player. This is a great course for him. I think he has a great record out here at Augusta National, and obviously he showed it this afternoon.”
Matsuyama typically is shadowed by an enormous contingent of Japanese media that chronicle his every move, but there are few credentialed journalists from Japan this year because of COVID limitations, presenting a relative peace for the country’s brightest but shiest golf superstar.
“I'm not sure how to answer this in a good way, but being in front of the media is still difficult,” he said. “I'm glad the media are here covering it, but it's not my favorite thing to do, to stand and answer questions. And so with fewer media, it's been a lot less stressful for me, and I've enjoyed this week.”
Maybe Matsuyama can take advantage of that temporary peace in the eye of the storm before his world is never normal again is he wins.
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