Golf: Hideki Matsuyama of Japan win HSBC Champions

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan never gave anyone a chance Sunday, closing with a 6-under 66 to win the HSBC Champions in Shanghai and become the first Asian winner in the 18 years of the World Golf Championships.

It was only fitting that Matsuyama won the WGC billed as “Asia’s major.”

The 24-year-old Matsuyama hit his second shot into the water on the par-5 18th hole and still finished with a par, holing an 18-foot putt. That gave him a seven-shot victory over British Open champion Henrik Stenson (65) and Daniel Berger (69).

It was the largest margin of victory at the HSBC Champions, and the largest in a WGC since Tiger Woods won by seven in the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.

Starting the final round with a three-shot lead, Matsuyama hit his approach into 4 feet for birdie and was on his way. His only difficult moment came at the par-3 fourth hole when he went over the green and his chip came out soft, stopping some 15 feet short of the cup. Berger had a 10-foot birdie attempt, setting up the potential for a two-shot swing that would have cut the lead to two shots.

Matsuyama holed the putt, then hit an approach up the hill to 4 feet on the next hole for birdie. He poured it on along the back nine with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 13th, a two-putt birdie on the par-5 14th hole and then another strong approach out of the rough to the tough 15th that settled 3 feet away.

He played his final 45 holes at Sheshan International without a bogey. Matsuyama finished at 23-under 265, one shot away from the tournament record set three years ago by Dustin Johnson.

It was the 10th career victory for Matsuyama, who goes to a career-best No. 6 in the world ranking.

In the last three weeks since he finished his best PGA Tour season with fifth place at the Tour Championship, Matsuyama won the Japan Open, was runner-up in Malaysia to Justin Thomas in the CIMB Classic, and then won his biggest tournament yet.

LPGA Tour

Shanshan Feng won the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur to cap a string of high finishes that started with an Olympic bronze medal.

The 27-year-old Chinese star beat Suzann Pettersen by three strokes at TPC Kuala Lumpur, shooting a 4-under 67 after finishing off a third-round 64 in the morning.

Feng won the tournament for the second time to push her LPGA Tour victory total to five, ending a drought that stretched to her 2014 win in Kuala Lumpur. She has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last six events. After Rio, she tied for fourth at Evian in France, then opened the Asia Swing in China with a fourth-place tie at Reignwood, was second in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea.

Tied with Anna Nordqvist after the Swede’s tap-in birdie on the par-4 13th, Feng regained the lead with a sweeping 18-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th. She followed with a downhill 15-footer on the par-3 15th, and had a three-stroke lead moments later when Nordqvist three-putted the 14th for bogey.

Feng finished at 17-under 267.

Pettersen shot her second straight 66. Nordqvist had a 70, hitting into the water on the par-4 18th for a double bogey that dropped her into a tie for third with Amy Yang (69) at 12 under.

Champions Tour

Tom Pernice Jr. won the first playoff event in PGA Tour Champions history, beating Colin Montgomerie by a stroke at Sherwood in the PowerShares QQQ Championship in Thousand Oaks, California.

The 57-year-old Tom Pernice Jr. closed with a 2-under 70, breaking a tie for the lead with Montgomerie with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th and adding a 15-footer on the par-3 15th.

Pernice bogeyed the par-3 17th and two-putted for par from 15 feet on the par-4 18th.

The former UCLA player won for the fifth time on the 50-and-over tour, ending a drought that stretched to the 2014 Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The two-time PGA Tour winner had a 13-under 203 total.

Montgomerie parred the final five holes for a 70.

The top 72 players on the money list earned spots at Sherwood, and the top 54 advanced to the Dominion Charity Classic next week in Richmond, Virginia. The field will be cut to 36 for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship the following week in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Each dollar earned in the first two events is worth two points and will be added to the regular-season total. At the Charles Schwab Championship, points will be reset so that the top five only have to win to capture the Charles Schwab Cup.

PGA Tour

Cody Gribble won the Sanderson Farms Championship for his first PGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 65 for a four-stroke victory in Jackson, Mississippi.

The 26-year-old rookie started the day a stroke behind playing partners Chris Kirk and Luke List.

Gribble had two birdies on the front nine to stay in contention, then ran off birdies on Nos. 11, 13, 15, 16 and 17 to turn a tight tournament into a blowout. He finished at 20-under 268.

Gribble looked as if he might have trouble just making the cut at the Country Club of Jackson after an opening 73. He bounced back with a 63 in the second round to jump into contention.

Kirk and List each shot 70 to tie for second with England’s Greg Owen (68).

Legends Tour

Juli Inkster won The Legends Tour’s season-ending Walgreens Charity Championship on Sunday, closing with a 4-under 64 for a four-stroke victory over Pat Hurst in Delray Beach, Florida.

The 56-year-old Inkster finished at 5-under 139 at Seagate Country Club. She was three senior victories after winning 31 times in her Hall of Fame career on the LPGA Tour.