Matsuyama sustains form as Tiger falters

NASSAU, Bahamas – Tiger Woods raised his right index finger in the air when he holed a long bunker shot, his fourth birdie in five holes that put him within two shots of the lead early in the third round Saturday of the Hero World Challenge.

He couldn’t sustain it, missing too many fairways and too many putts inside 10 feet. He didn’t get to the number under par that he thought would give him a chance to contend in his first tournament in 15 months.

Turns out even a good finish wouldn’t have mattered – not the way Hideki Matsuyama is playing.

Matsuyama, coming off seven-shot victories in his last two tournaments, holed out for eagle with a wedge and kept his mistakes to a minimum for a 7-under 65 to build a seven-shot lead over British Open champion Henrik Stenson (66) and US Open champion Dustin Johnson (72).

Woods missed three straight putts inside 10 feet and hit into the water on the 18th for a double bogey that gave him a 70, leaving him 11 shots behind. Still, the opening hour was filled with big excitement and higher expectations when he pulled to within two shots of the lead.

Jordan Spieth was playing in the group behind, heard the cheer of the holed bunker shot and saw the board with Woods 4 under through 5.

“It’s hard to say he’s exceeded any expectations because it’s Tiger,” Jordan Spieth said. “But I think he’s very pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure how he’s feeling. But taking off that amount of time, you can’t expect to get right into it.

“I’m pumped to see what he’s doing this week.”

Woods has made 19 birdies in three rounds of his first tournament since August 2015. Asked what he would have said at the start of the week to hear that he was 8-under par through three rounds, Woods replied, “I’d have said I’d be pretty far behind. And I’m right.”

Matsuyama was at 19-under 197, matching the 54-hole score by Bubba Watson last year at Albany. A year ago, Watson had a two-shot lead. No one is close to Matsuyama, the hottest player in golf over the last two months.

“I knew somebody was going to go low, but I thought it was going to be probably three, four guys that would post this kind of a score,” Woods said. “But Hideki is just playing unbelievable golf.”

Johnson tried to stay with him, but had a hard time keeping it out of the sandy areas off the tee.