AKRON, Ohio (AP) – Hideki Matsuyama was along for the ride four years ago when he watched Tiger Woods tear apart Firestone Country Club on his way to a 61 in the second round, which tied the South course record and sent Woods to a seven-shot victory in the Bridgestone Invitational.
“I just couldn’t believe that anyone could shoot 61 on this golf course,’’ Matsuyama said.
He sure didn’t expect that from himself Sunday, especially after warming up so badly that Matsuyama wasn’t sure which the way ball was going. Some four hours later, the 25-year-old Japanese star had a place alongside Woods in the record book.
Matsuyama finished with three straight birdies to cap off a runaway victory with a 9-under 61, giving him his second World Golf Championship in nine month. It was the lowest final round in four decades at venerable Firestone, and it gave Matsuyama a five-shot victory over Zach Johnson.
He finished at 16-under 264 and moved back to the top of the FedEx Cup standings.
Matsuyama found more than just his swing after he left the range. He might have found the game that first elevated him to the elite in golf last fall when he had four victories and two runner-up finishes over six straight tournaments.
And the timing couldn’t be better with the PGA Championship four days away, with a Japanese nation clamoring for its first major champion.
“I hope their expectations aren’t too high,’’ Matsuyama said. “But my expectations really at the beginning of this week weren’t that high, either, and here we are.’’
He won for the third time this season, joining Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth for most on the PGA Tour.
“Once he gets going, he just keeps the hammer down and keeps it going,’’ Rory McIlroy said. “It’s very impressive.
He’s played very impressively over the past 18 months with a lot of wins and a lot of good finishes. That’s the caliber of player he is. I expect him to be right up there next week, as well.’’
Matsuyama, who started the final round two shots behind Thomas Pieters and Zach Johnson, quickly got into the hunt by chipping in from 60 feet for eagle. He took the lead for the first time on No. 6 with a 15-foot birdie, and then he was gone.
Woods shot 61 twice at Firestone. Jose Maria Olazabal in 1990 and Sergio Garcia in 2014 were the other players to do it.
