SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hideki Matsuyama was thrilled to play with fellow Japanese player Ryo Hisatsune in the final pairing at the Phoenix Open and hoped they could do it again.
Hisatsune’s bogey on 18 put an end to that.
Matsuyama may have bigger things to worry about with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler lurking.
Matsuyama shot a 3-under 68 despite some missed opportunities down the stretch to take a one-shot lead Saturday.
“Kind of a first today for Japan to have two Japanese pros play in a final group,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “I was hoping we could do it tomorrow, but, again, I hope tomorrow just to play well and stay on top.”
He’ll need to after Scheffler worked his way up the leaderboard at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course for the second straight day.
In danger of missing his first cut since 2022 with a shaky first round, Scheffler backed up a second-round 65 with a 67 on Saturday to pull within five shots.
He’s been in this position before, rallying from nine shots down to win the 2022 Phoenix Open for his first PGA Tour victory.
“Going to need a special round,” he said. “I’ll be starting on the front nine tomorrow, so if I can get out there and make a few birdies on the harder nine and get some momentum going into the back, you never know what can happen.”
Catching Matsuyama could be tough.
The Japanese star failed to get up-and-down from near the green on the short par-4 17th and left a 15-foot birdie putt on the lip at 18, but still finished at 13-under 200.
The two-time Phoenix Open champion was tied with Hisatsune after 17 holes, but took the outright lead into the final round after his countryman failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker for a bogey on 18. Hisatsune shot 70 to finish at 12 under.
Nicolai Hojgaard had five birdies his final six holes to shoot a bogey-free 65. Maverick McNealy had a stretch of four birdies in five holes on the back nine to shoot 65. Si Woo Kim had an eagle on the par-5 third hole to shoot 66 and join them at 12 under.
“There is a lot of guys there at the top that will be battling, so I just need to play well,” Matsuyama said.
Hisatsune shot 63 in the second round to surge ahead of Matsuyama by a shot, setting up a third-round “dream” final pairing with the player who inspired so many young Japanese players.
Neither could get much going on the front nine.
Matsuyama had birdies on three of his first four holes, including a 27-footer over a swale on the par-3 fourth. He also bogeyed Nos. 2 and 5 when he couldn’t get up-and-down, making the turn at 1 under 34.
Hisatsune couldn’t gain much traction, either, turning in even par with two birdies and two pars.
Matsuyama birdied the par-4 10th hole and added another with a two putt at the par-5 13th to take the lead at 13, but closed with five straight pars.
Hisatsune also birdied 10 and got up and down on the short par-4 17th for birdie to tie for the lead before he missed an 8-foot par putt on 18.
“I’m happy to be minus-1, so ready for tomorrow,” Hisatsune said through an interpreter.
A grip change altered Scheffler’s outlook after a shaky 73 in the first round.
Scheffler had his first birdie on the par-4 eighth and holed out a bunker shot at No. 10 for the first of consecutive birdies. He followed a three-putt bogey on the par-3 12th by getting up and down for birdie on the two back-nine par 5s, 13 and 15.
But then he stalled out.
Scheffler missed a birdie putt on No. 16, couldn’t get up-and-down from pin high on the par-4 17th and missed another birdie on 18.
“I feel very comfortable where I am at and where my game is at,” he said.
That could spell trouble for the rest of the field, even at five shots back.
