DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama was bracing for a rough day at the Memorial and wound up with a share of the lead Thursday.

Tiger Woods still doesn’t know what to expect.

Matsuyama made a bold start in his bid to join Woods as the only repeat winners at Muirfield Village by running off four straight birdies on the back nine and one strong par save on his way to an 8-under 64 that tied the Japanese star with Bo Van Pelt.

“To be honest with you, up until yesterday I was not hitting the ball very well, I was not chipping very well, I was not putting very well,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “And I don’t know what happened overnight. We just caught magic.”



MANULIFE
LPGA CLASSIC

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario (AP) — Cheyenne Woods, Cristie Kerr and P.K. Kongkraphan matched the course record at 9-under 63 to share the first-round lead in the Manulife LPGA Classic.

Woods, Tiger Woods’ niece, and Kerr tied the Whistle Bear Golf Club record set by Matt Bettencourt and Jon Mills, in the Web.com Tour’s 2005 Canadian PGA Championship. The tournament is in its first year at Whistle Bear after three years at Grey Silo in Waterloo.

Woods had an eagle, eight birdies and a bogey. The 24-year-old LPGA Tour rookie won the Ladies European Tour’s Australian Ladies Masters last year.

The 37-year-old Kerr had 10 birdies and a bogey, playing her opening nine in 7-under 29. She won the Kia Classic in California in March for her 17th LPGA Tour title.

Kongkraphan, from Thailand, also had 10 birdies and a bogey.





NORDEA MASTERS

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Swedish amateur Marcus Kinhult shot a 5-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead in the Nordea Masters.

The 18-year-old Kinhult had seven birdies and two bogeys at PGA Sweden National. Countryman Jens Dantorp and England’s Chris Paisley also shot 67.

Fourth-ranked Henrik Stenson opened with a 70 in his home event.