23-under: Enough for Hideki Matsuyama to Win the HSBC

Hideki Matsuyama Wins at Sheshan International

Hideki Matsuyama waved to a cheering crowd from the top balcony of a corporate suite over the 18th green at Sheshan International, where moments earlier he finished up a thorough beating of a world-class field in the HSBC Champions.

He never felt higher. His game never felt better.

And the 24-year-old Japanese star can only hope that he's just getting started.

Matsuyama never gave anyone a chance Sunday, closing with a 6-under 66 for a seven-shot victory that made him the first Asian to win a World Golf Championships event since the series began in 1999.

And it was only fitting that he won at the event billed as “Asia's major.”

“He was brilliant,” said defending champion Russell Knox, who played in the last group and was along for the ride. “No weaknesses the last two days. He drove the ball well and far, and his iron play was very good. And he made it look very easy.”

The only trouble came when it no longer mattered. Matsuyama realized that one last birdie would give him 30 for the week, so he went for the green on the par-5 18th and his shot bounced out of a bush and tumbled into the water. No problem. He took his drop in the rough, hit wedge to 18 feet and made one last putt to extend a streak of playing the final 45 holes without a bogey.

“No special number,” he said of his goal to make 30 birdies. “I made 19 birdies the first few days, so then I was thinking, `Well, if I make 11 more, I can win.’ So that was kind of my goal was to get to 30 birdies.”

He really didn't need any of them.

Matsuyama finished at 23-under 265, one short of the tournament record that Dustin Johnson set three years ago. He won by seven over British Open champion Henrik Stenson (65) and Daniel Berger (69).

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Ha Na Jang Wins Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship

Ha Na Jang held off Shanshan Feng by a stroke in wind and rain on Sunday in the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship for her third victory of the year.

Eight strokes ahead of Feng after a birdie on the sixth hole, the 24-year-old South Korean player bogeyed two of the next three holes and scrambled to par the final nine for a 1-under 71.

Feng finished with a 66. The Chinese star chipped in for birdie from 35 feet on the par-4 15th to pull within two strokes, and nearly holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 18th.

Jang then lagged her 15-foot birdie putt to inches, and danced on the green after tapping in.

"I was like nervous every hole," Jang said. "Shanshan really good play today. That's why I got very nervous. And then I'm just simple every hole because weather is just so bad. And then just keep going the fairway and the green."

She kept the celebration short after drawing criticism in South Korea for her flamboyant victory celebrations - a "Samurai Lasso" routine in Florida in February and a "Beyonce Single Ladies" dance in Singapore in March. Also, before the Singapore event, Jang's father dropped a hard-case suitcase that tumbled down an airport escalator and injured rival player In Gee Chun.

"After Singapore's not really good happening. That's why little, small dancing," Jang said. "Yesterday my agent and all the people text me say just try small celebration. Please just you try it. That's why I got try a little more small one. But I think it's really good. Celebration is a little small, but looks like a little bigger. It's like dancing like, 'I like it. I like it.' Like that. So happy."

Jang finished at 17-under 271. She set up some key par saves with sharp play around the greens, hitting to inches on 14 after striking the pin, to a foot on 15 after Feng holed out, and to 2 feet on 16 and 17.

"Really solid chipping," Jang said. "My chipping is pretty good first time my life. That's why every par is good score, because raining so bad. So that's these why every hole is par. ... My first win weather is rainy, exactly same. I like it raining on the golf course."

Canada's Brooke Henderson birdied the last two holes for a 70 to tie for third with South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim (69) at 10 under. Taiwan's Candie Kung (69), South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace (71) and South Korea's Hee Young Park (72) were another stroke back.

Jang shot a 62 on Saturday to take a six-stroke lead over Feng into the final round. The 62 was the lowest score in her LPGA Tour career and matched the best round in the three years at Miramar.

The South Korean player earned $300,000 to jump from 12th to seventh in the money list with $1,199,719. She's projected to go from 12th to eighth in the world ranking.

Feng had her third straight top-four finish. The Olympic bronze medalist was fourth in the Evian Championship and tied for fourth last week in China in the Asian Swing opener.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko shot a 70 to tie for 20th at 3 under. She won by nine strokes last year at Miramar. The tour will be in South Korea next week, then visit China, Malaysia and Japan.

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