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Matsuyama Runs Away With Bridgestone Classic

Hideki Matsuyama's Sunday round at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was a reminder that he has a gear few others on the planet possess. 
 
After a range session CBS Sports' Dottie Pepper called "one of the worst" she's ever seen, Matsuyama went out and burned down a leaderboard that included Thomas Pieters, Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson and Rickie Fowler with a 9-under 61.
 
Matsuyama, who now has five PGA Tour wins, heated up early as he chipped in for eagle on the second hole. He went out in 30 with birdies at Nos. 3, 6 and 9.
 
With the course record of 61 in his sights down the stretch, Matsuyama closed with three straight birdies, none of them on putts longer than eight feet. Matsuyama joined Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal as the only golfers to drop 61s on this course.
 
Co-54-hole leader Thomas Pieters shot just a 1-over 71 in the final round, and he lost by eight.  
 
In his warm-up bid for history next week with the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, Jordan Spieth was good early and late but not so much in the middle. He finished 45th in putting this week and wasted a top 10 tee-to-green performance in his bid for three wins in a row. A T13 is nothing to be concerned about, though, even if Spieth tabbed Rory McIlroy as the favorite next week at Quail Hollow.
 
It was a strange week for Rory McIlroy (T5) who shot all four rounds in the 60s. He finished second in driving on the week and in the top five in strokes gained around the green. He also finished in the top 40 in putting, which is usually plenty good enough for him to win a golf tournament. But his approach shots let him down, and he lost strokes to the field in two of the four days, finishing well outside the top 50 in the field in this category.
 
D.J. (T17) only had one round north of 68, but unfortunately for him it was a 75 in the second round. Johnson finished an astounding sixth in the field in putting and couldn't crack the top 15. 
 
One quirk that was mentioned on the broadcast by Jim Nantz is that now either Johnson or Matsuyama has won each of the last five WGC events. 
 
Johnson won this one last year, Matsuyama won in China, Johnson won in Mexico and the WGC-Dell Match Play. And now Matsuyama again. 
 
That's a pretty wild oddity considering only three golfers have more than two WGC wins in the history of the event.

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