Matsuyama in three-way tie at the top as Olympics medal chase heats up

Hideki Matsuyama found himself in a three-way tie for the second round lead despite returning with a three-under-par 68 at the Le Golf National on Friday.
 
The world No. 12 set the early pace with a bogey-free 63 after the first round of the golf competition but mixed his card on the second day with seven birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey.

His two-day total of 11-under-par 131 placed in the share of the lead with defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele of the United States and Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood.
 
Matsuyama had led playing partner Fleetwood by one stroke heading down the last, but hit his third shot on the par-four into the water before holing a 12-foot putt to avoid a triple.
 
"It was a sad ending, but I'm glad that today was only the second day," he admitted.
 
Schauffele remained in the hunt for a second successive Olympic gold as the 30-year-old continued to show his good form in a year which has already seen him win the PGA Championship and Open championship.
 
“If you do hit a bad shot it’s easier to accept it because you know you’re playing really good golf and you can make it up somewhere else,” said Schauffele.
 
Keita Nakajima, meanwhile, slipped a spot down to tied-30^th after posting another identical 70. He was among the 60 golfers who will play all four rounds in a stroke play format at the venue that hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup.
 
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