Matsuyama holds on to win in Bahamas for 3rd straight win

Tournament host and five-time victor Tiger Woods had looked like he would make a run at the leader with an early birdie blitz but in a repeat of his first day performance, fizzled out on the back nine.

Hideki Matsuyama, seeking his fourth title in the past two months, fired a seven-under par 65 Saturday to seize a seven-stroke lead after the third round of the Hero World Challenge.

It was a week that showed plenty of promise, but Tiger Woods ended his comeback with a 76 at the Hero World Challenge in The Bahamas.

Matsuyama had a few nervous moments on the back nine at Albany when his seven-shot lead at the start of the final round was reduced to two shots over British Open champion Henrik Stenson with two to play. There was then a two shot swing when Stenson rolled in a birdie on the 14th while Matsuyama three-putted for a bogey.

Even so, Woods said he was happy to be playing again, considering how bad he felt at his tournament past year.

Woods carded a bogey-free 65 on Friday, and followed that stellar round up with a mercurial 2-under 70 in the third round, which ended with another double bogey at the 18th hole.

Refusing to cut Woods much slack after a 15-month-plus injury-enforced break, former PGA Tour victor Chamblee said “rust” was the wrong word to use.

Woods, who hosts the event each year, started his final round with four pars before bogeying the fifth hole and double-bogeying the sixth.

“I’d like to get another solid round in, ” Woods said.

“I can’t say that I played well today, but I did win Tiger’s tournament”, Matsuyama said. Long gone. Going forward, and especially when he has more time to deal with his new equipment and build up his strength, he’s confident he’ll get better.

“The biggest surprise is that with all the time off I was able to get into the flow of things quickly all three days”, said Woods, who is coming from two back procedures after he last played in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015.

“I’m just going to have to try my best tomorrow”. He missed a 10-foot par putt at the 10th and made double bogey at the par-5 11th by finding the native sand and rough beyond the green, then chipping down the far side of the green and missing an eight-foot bogey putt. Still, most players said his score was above their expectations given the injuries he had and the rust he accumulated.

“I was playing aggressive, this golf course allows one to be aggressive, but also I made some bad mistakes”, said Woods, who will turn 41 later this month. It’s a great field, they’ve been playing all year and they’ve all been playing great. That’s the great thing is that I’m building, and the fact that each day I’ve gotten a little bit stronger.