Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama did a decent job on Sunday in Chiba, his card of 65, five strokes below par, allowing him to take away the honors of the ZOZO PGA Championship.
With a cumulative 265 (-15), the winner finished with a five-stroke lead over his closest pursuers, Americans Cameron Tringale (69) and Brendan Steele (66). He pocketed his seventh career win in the circuit, his first on his homeland.
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (67) had a good weekend taking fourth place at 274 (-6), tied with a few other golfers. It was much more difficult for his compatriot Roger Sloan (73), who finished with a total of 290 (+10) good for the 71st place.
In 2019, Tiger Woods triumphed at this event, while last year, the pandemic forced organizers to move everything to California.
LPGA: another victory with a local flavor
As for the LPGA, the weekend tournament was also the business of the players playing “at home”, as South Korean Jin Young Ko won in Busan, where the BMW Championship for women was concluded.
Moreover, seven of the first eight levels were occupied by competitors from the host country. Ko (64) erased a two-stroke delay over leader Hee Jeong Lim (68) to finish the 72 regulation holes tied at 266 (-22). At the opening hole of overtime, she wedged a birdie with an excellent approach, while her rival could not follow suit. The winner clinched her fourth title of the season.
“I wasn’t that nervous at the start of the extra holes. I think I fed off my confidence in the final round, ”she explained to the LPGA website.
This victory will once again give her the top of the world rankings, as she will overtake the American Nelly Korda. She had held the head for nearly two years, from July 20, 2019 to June 27.
No Canadian participated in the competition. The gain of KB is the 200th in history obtained by a South Korean in the circuit.
