Hideki Matsuyama bolts to the top of the leaderboard during Friday’s second round of the BMW PGA Championship. His excellent play left him one shot clear of the field. The Japanese former Masters champion, currently ranked 16th in the world, blitzed the Marriott’s 7,346-yard layout with a mind-boggling 8-under 64. This huge performance propelled him to 12 under for the tournament.
To accomplish the feat, Matsuyama made two eagles, including converting at two of the four par-5 holes. Perhaps most memorably, he holed a 40-foot eagle putt on his final hole to finish off an impressive return to form. Matsuyama had to demonstrate great mastery over Wentworth Club course. In addition to his two eagles, he made 11 birdies for the week.
Matsuyama’s round included a thrilling run where he made three straight birdies starting at No. 16. In the round’s third hole, he holed that same distance birdie putt over 15 feet, this time from the fourth hole. He even made eagle from the fringe at the par 3 17th!
On thread of the tournament Matsuyama said he was surprised he was able to play as well as he did.
“I wasn’t expecting I would play this good.” – Hideki Matsuyama
This is Matsuyama’s first appearance in the European tour’s flagship event. He has rapidly transitioned to the unique challenges presented by Wentworth Club. His knack for rising to the occasion has made him unique in this illustrious competition.
As the tournament comes to a close, Matsuyama will try to ride the momentum of his historic opening round all the way to victory. As he aims to build even more momentum into the weekend, competitors will be watching especially closely as he becomes a marked man.
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