Matsuyama Keeps Medal Hopes Alive
Paris, France: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama heads into Sunday’s final round at Le Golf National with hopes of an Olympic medal still uppermost in his mind. Joint half-way leader, Matsuyama was below his best in returning an even-par 71 in round...
Paris, France: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama heads into Sunday’s final round at Le Golf National with hopes of an Olympic medal still uppermost in his mind.
Joint half-way leader, Matsuyama was below his best in returning an even-par 71 in round three.
With a three-day total of 11-under 202, the two-time Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) winner dropped into a share of fourth place with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, who stormed up the leaderboard with a course record equalling 62.
Leading the way are Spaniard Jon Rahm and American Xander Schauffele on 14-under 199 with Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood one shot back in third.
Also clinging on to hopes of landing an Olympic medal are world number one Scottie Scheffler of the United States and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy. They are tied for sixth on 203 with Korean Tom Kim and Belgian Thomas Detry.
CT Pan’s hopes of repeating his bronze-medal winning performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics appear to have evaporated. A third round of one-over 72 left the Chinese Taipei player in a share of 17th place on 206 – six strokes off third spot.
Other ex-AAC participants who are battling for a strong finish are New Zealand’s Ryan Fox (tied 23rd, 208); Australian Min Woo Lee (tied 29th, 209); Malaysian Gavin Green (tied 38th, 212); Japan’s Keita Nakajima (tied 44th, 213); Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu (tied 46th, 214); China’s Marty Dou Zecheng (tied 50th, 216); New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier (53rd, 218); and China’s Carl Yuan Yechun (57th, 220).
