Matsuyama seizes early Bridgestone lead

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, chasing a second World Golf Championship crown, seized the early fourth-round lead on Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

World number three Matsuyama kick-started his round with an eagle at Firestone Country Club's par-five second, where he chipped in from just off the green.

He added birdies at the third, sixth and ninth to get to 12-under for the tournament through 10 holes and had a one-shot lead over American Charley Hoffman, who climbed the leaderboard with five birdies in his first 11 holes.

Third-round co-leader Zach Johnson was 10-under through nine holes after two birdies and a bogey on the front.

Belgian Thomas Pieters, who shared the overnight lead, made a promising birdie at the second but closed the front nine with back-to-back bogeys to fall four off the lead.

Matsuyama notched his fourth US PGA Tour title with the successful defense of his Phoenix Open title in February. That followed a stellar run of international play to end 2016, when he won four of five events on his home Japan Tour and captured the WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai last October.

That made him the first player from Asia to win one of the prestigious World Golf Championship events.