SHANGHAI — Dominant Hideki Matsuyama made history Sunday when he became the first player from Asia to win a World Golf Championships.
The 24-year-old from Japan left a world-class field, including Rory McIlroy and all four 2016 major winners, trailing in his wake as he finished seven strokes clear at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
The 24-year-old Japanese player also became the first from the continent to win “Asia’s Major” and he did it in style with a flawless final round of six-under par 66.
Matsuyama was just one shot shy of the record 72-hole score at Sheshan International Golf Club of 24-under par set by current US Open champion Dustin Johnson three years ago.
Matsuyama finished at 23-under par after four stunning rounds of 66, 65, 68 and 66 at the par-72 layout. British Open champions Henrik Stenson and Daniel Berger of the US were tied for second way back at 16-under par.
World No. 3 Rory McIlroy Sunday carded his second 66 of the week for yet another top-five finish as he shared fourth place on 15-under par with Bill Haas.
Matsuyama, whose total of 29 birdies for the week was just three short of the all-time US PGA Tour record of 32, remarkably did not card a bogey after the ninth hole of his second round Friday.
The in-form player is set to rise to as high as No. 6 in the world following his victory for which he wins $1.62 million.
Matsuyama settled any nerves straight away with a birdie at the first to open a four-shot cushion over defending champion Russell Knox, who eventually fell away with a two-over 74.
Feng wins in Malaysia
China’s Feng Shanshan won her second Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia title in three years as a final-round charge from world No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand fizzled on Sunday.
Feng, who won in 2014, had stormed into the lead with a seven-under par 64 in a rain-interrupted third round that forced her and several others to wait until early Sunday to finish up.
She then started the final round with a bogey on the first hole but regained her footing to finish at 17-under for a three-stroke win over Norway’s Suzann Pettersen at TPC Kuala Lumpur.
With the win, the ebullient Feng ended a two-year title drought.
Feng had finished in the top five in her four previous tournaments leading up to the event.
Ko struggled early in the tournament but jumped into contention after shooting 65 Saturday.
She made a run Sunday with three birdies on the front nine but her hopes evaporated when she double-bogeyed 15, and later bogeyed the final hole to finish at eight-under with a closing even-par 71.
Feng pockets a $270,000 prize for the tournament.
Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and South Korea’s Amy Yang ended up tied for third at 12-under par.
Kirk, List share lead
Chris Kirk fired a seven-under 65 Saturday to take a share of the third-round lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship alongside fellow American Luke List.
The 31-year-old Kirk had eight birdies and a bogey in his round Saturday at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi.
List had seven birdies in his bogey-free 65.
Former US Open champion Lucas Glover shot 68 and was one stroke back in a tie for third with Canada’s Graham DeLaet, who had four straight birdies on the back nine for a 68, and Cody Gribble stumbled to a double-bogey six on the 15th hole en route to a 72. — Agencies
