Xander Schauffele, the defending Olympic champion, Hideki Matsuyama and Tommy Fleetwood each finished at 11 under par for 36 holes to share the halfway lead in the race for the medal stand.
It was the 17th time this year Schauffele shot 65 or better, the most recent being the final-round 65 that won him his second major at the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The result of a soft golf course was a first-round scoring average of 69.82 and a field that was a combined 86-under par. Half the holes played under par for the day, and the field averaged four birdies per round.
This week marks Matsuyama’s 10th anniversary of his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Memorial Tournament in 2014, an event hosted by golf legend Nicklaus. From the breakthrough a decade ago, Matsuyama has since cemented his stature as Asia’s most decorated golfer.
A week after branding the official world golf ranking “laughable”, LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman has revealed the Top 20-ranked superstar he’s trying to lure across to the Saudi-backed league.
Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama rewrote a slice of golf history when he became the most prolific Asian-born winner on the PGA Tour after his ninth career victory at the Genesis Invitational, a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods and the third signature event of the season.
It’s beach season in the US. All across America, people are shoving their toes in the sand, ready to forget their troubles for a few sunny hours of rest and relaxation. Well, except for Hideki Matsuyama.
Going by historical precedent and some quick back-of-the-napkin math, plus more than a pinch of fanciful thinking, it appears that, oh, around 44 guys can win the Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
Now 80 years young, the Japanese octogenarian is still in the forefront of the game where he now serves as chairman of the Japan Golf Tour Organisation.
Australian Golf Digest
