WM Phoenix Open Round 3: Hideki Matsuyama Leads by One as Five Pile Up at the Top

Saturday at TPC Scottsdale ended with five players inside one shot of the lead and a two-time champion at the top of it. If you wanted a calm Sunday, this is the wrong tournament.

Hideki Matsuyama shot 3-under 68 to reach 13-under 200 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the WM Phoenix Open. Right behind him at 12 under is a four-man logjam: 36-hole leader Ryo Hisatsune (70), Nicolai Hojgaard (65), Maverick McNealy (65) and Si Woo Kim (66). Matt Fitzpatrick, Michael Thorbjornsen, Jake Knapp and Akshay Bhatia are two back at 11 under, and Scottie Scheffler is lurking at 8 under after a 67.

Matsuyama's Up-and-Down Day

Matsuyama's round looked nothing like his six-birdie blitz on Friday. It was choppy early. He birdied three of his first four holes, including a 27-footer that climbed over a swale at the par-3 fourth, but he also bogeyed the second and the fifth after missing up-and-downs. He turned in 1-under 34.

The back nine was where he took control. A birdie at the par-4 10th and a two-putt birdie at the par-5 13th got him to 13 under and into the lead. From there he played five straight pars to finish, not without chances. He could not get up and down for birdie at the short 17th, and his 15-foot birdie try at the 18th stopped on the lip.

A one-shot lead is not much at a place where low numbers come in bunches. But Matsuyama has won this event twice, in 2016 and 2017, and the 33-year-old knows exactly how the closing stretch here plays when the stadium is full.

Hisatsune's 18th Hole

Hisatsune spent most of the day hanging around the top. He turned at even par in his round, birdied the 10th and then got up and down for birdie at the 17th to draw level with Matsuyama at 13 under.

The 18th undid that. Hisatsune found a greenside bunker, splashed out to about 8 feet, and missed the par putt. The bogey dropped him to 12 under and out of a share of the lead. For a 23-year-old in the last group on Saturday, it was a painful finish, but he is one shot back with 18 holes to go.

The Charge From Behind

The best golf of the day came from players who started well back of the final group. Hojgaard was bogey-free and finished with a flourish, making five birdies over his final six holes for a 65. McNealy matched that 65, built on four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. Kim, who shot 62 on Friday, added a 66 that featured an eagle at the par-5 third.

That trio turned a two-man race into a five-man scrum. Nobody in the group at 12 under can be dismissed, and the two-shot window behind them includes a major champion in Fitzpatrick.

First-round leader Chris Gotterup shot 70 and sits four back at 9 under, tied with Pierceson Coody.

Scheffler, Five Back

Scheffler keeps finding answers. After working on a grip adjustment between rounds, he shot 67 to get to 8 under. He birdied the eighth, holed a bunker shot for birdie at the 10th, and answered a three-putt bogey at the 12th with birdies at the par-5 13th and 15th.

Then the round stalled. He missed a birdie chance at the 16th, could not get up and down at the 17th and missed again at the 18th. Those three holes may be the difference between five back and three back.

Still, it is worth remembering where Scheffler was Thursday night: 10 shots off the lead and in danger of missing the cut. He has played the last 36 holes in 10 under and has made himself relevant again.

Sunday's Setup

Here is the picture heading into the final round. Matsuyama has the lead and the course history. Hisatsune has the near-miss motivation. Hojgaard, McNealy and Kim have the momentum. Fitzpatrick and the 11-under group are close enough that one hot nine changes everything. Scheffler needs a big number and help.

TPC Scottsdale rewards aggression on the back nine, with the par-5 15th, the stadium 16th and the short par-4 17th all capable of swinging a tournament in a few minutes. With this many names inside a few shots, Sunday will likely come down to who handles that stretch best.

Catch up on the first two days in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap and leaderboard), AP, Golf Channel, Sky Sports, Golf Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.