Ryo Hisatsune carded a truly sensational round on Friday! With a brilliant eight-under-par 63, he snatched the lead at the US PGA Tour Phoenix Open – by a narrow margin of just one stroke ahead of his compatriot Hideki Matsuyama.
On the back nine at TPC Scottsdale, Ryo really got down to business, picking up six strokes on just five holes. He finished with an overall score of eleven under par, totaling 131 strokes – things are certainly going his way!
Former Masters champion Matsuyama was also on fire, putting together an impressive six-birdie streak. His seven-under-par 64 brought him to a total of ten under par with 132 strokes.
The 23-year-old Hisatsune, who is chasing his first PGA Tour title, already had two birdies in the bag on the front nine before truly igniting his run on the 13th hole with a four-foot birdie. On the 14th, he sank a 23-foot birdie putt; on the 15th, he holed an eight-foot eagle; and on the 16th, he followed up with a seven-foot birdie. But he really stole the show on the par-four 17th: tee shot into the water, drop, chip-in – what an unbelievable birdie! That's pure DELOFTED-level drama!
“That was pure luck,” he admitted candidly, adding with a grin: “But also much more fun!” Incidentally, for him, it’s a “dream” to tee off with Matsuyama in the final group on Saturday.
Matsuyama, who triumphed here in 2016 and 2017, started on the 10th hole and rocketed to the top of the leaderboard with six consecutive birdies – from the 13th to the 18th. On the par-five 13th, he holed a nine-foot birdie putt; on the 14th and 15th, three-foot birdie putts followed; and on the 16th, he blasted a 29-foot birdie putt into the hole. Fans in the hospitality suites surrounding the green celebrated him frenetically!
Sure, such crowds can make one nervous, but Matsuyama, who boasts five top-five and five top-ten finishes here in Phoenix, loves the atmosphere. “The energy out there, so many fans cheering you on,” he raved. “If you make a bad shot, they boo you – there’s pressure, but I love it.”
After the birdie on the 16th, Matsuyama was on cloud nine, hitting his tee shot directly onto the green on the par-four 17th and taking two putts from 50 feet for a birdie. On the 18th, he parked his second shot just four feet from the hole, securing another birdie. He added further birdies on the fourth and fifth before a bogey on the ninth hole concluded his round.
“This is a truly strong golf course,” Matsuyama summarized. “You have to play well here, hit the ball cleanly, and the crowd really fires me up for it.”
First-round leader Chris Gotterup, who is chasing his second victory of 2026 after his triumph at the Sony Open in Hawaii last month, shot an even-par 71. With eight under par and a total of 134 strokes, he shares third place with Pierceson Coody (three-under-par 68).
Scheffler: The C
