Hero World Challenge 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Hideki Matsuyama continued his dominance Saturday at the Hero World Challenge in New Providence, Bahamas, with a seven-under 65 and will enter Sunday's final round with a seven-stroke lead.

Matsuyama and Dustin Johnson started the third round tied for the lead, and while Johnson struggled to an even-par 72, Matsuyama turned in the best round of the day and stands at 19 under overall.

Here is a look at the current leaderboard with one round left to play:

The 24-year-old Japan native came out of the gates firing with birdies on two of his first three holes and three of his first six. But it became clear on No. 7 that it would be a special day for him at the Albany development.

As seen in the following video courtesy of PGA Tour, Matsuyama holed his second shot on the par four to extend his lead:

He bogeyed the eighth but continued his great play on the back nine with four birdies and one bogey.

Fellow PGA Tour golfer David Hearn pointed out that Matsuyama didn't even appear pleased with his play despite the fact that he was pummeling the rest of the field:

Johnson didn't look particularly happy either, as he squandered several birdie opportunities and entered the clubhouse with negative vibes following a double bogey on the 18th. While he will enter the fourth round in a tie for second place, it can be argued that Henrik Stenson has the better chance to track down the leader.

The reigning Open Championship winner was on the fringes of the top 10 when he took the course Saturday, but he turned in his best round of the tournament with a six-under 66. He carded seven birdies with just one bogey, and his birdie on No. 14 exhibited how locked in he is on and around the green:

Perhaps the best round of the day to fly under the radar was the one completed by Jimmy Walker, who shot a six-under 66 after beginning Saturday at even par for the tournament. The 2016 PGA Championship winner played alone thanks to Justin Rose's withdrawal making for an uneven number of players, and he did so in remarkably quick fashion, per Matt Cochran of PGATour.com:

While Walker went largely unnoticed, all eyes were on tournament host Tiger Woods following his impressive seven-under 65 in the second round. Playing in his first event in over a year, Woods appeared on track to turn in a repeat performance in the early going, as he birdied each of the first three holes.

According to the PGA Tour, he needed just three putts to convert three birdies to kick off his round:

After a par on No. 4, the 14-time major champion got back to his birdieing ways on the fifth by holing one from the bunker:

He made the turn at four under for the round and was five under through 12 holes, but the wheels came off to some degree from that point forward.

Woods bogeyed both No. 13 and No. 14, and while he bounced back with a birdie on the par-three 17th, his day ended on a sour note. The 40-year-old veteran had to settle for a double-bogey six on No. 18 after his second shot out of the bunker ended up in the water:

It was a disappointing end for Woods considering how his day began, but ESPN.com's Jason Sobel pointed out that it was still a step in the right direction overall:

Woods doesn't figure to be a factor near the top of the leaderboard Sunday, but that can be said for almost any golfer not named Matsuyama. 

While no lead is technically insurmountable, he will likely need to falter in a big way in order for someone else to contend for the win in the fourth round. After his win at the WGC-HSBC Champions, though, recent history suggests Matsuyama is a strong bet to hold steady and win his second consecutive tournament.

Post-Round Reaction

Although Woods left some shots on the course and faded a bit down the stretch Saturday, he expressed a great deal of positivity regarding his performance and the simple fact that he is back in big-time events, according to Steve DiMeglio of USA Today:

"

I'm very pleased to be back and to be able to compete at this level again. It's been a very, very difficult road. You guys were all here last year and I did not feel very good. I was really, really struggling and I struggled for a very long time. Worked with my physios and had to be very patient and was finally able to start building, and here we are.

Because I've been away for so long, I haven't been able to condition myself physically. I'm not running like I used to when I was younger. Those 30‑mile weeks are gone. I'm not lifting like I used to. I'm just not quite there, but it is coming. That's the great thing is that I'm building, and the fact that each day I've gotten a little bit stronger. I think I'm getting used to playing out here, the mental preparation for a round. I'm starting to get into the flow of warming up, seeing shots, feeling shots, hitting shots, getting the feel for the wind.

"

Tiger is well off the pace like the rest of the field due to Matsuyama's sterling performance, but the leader admitted that he doesn't feel safe in first place due to Woods' strong play, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): "Only Tiger could take a year-and-a-half off and put up the numbers he's putting up this week. I don't care how many strokes I'm leading over him, I still worry about him, fear him."

Stenson may have the best chance to track Matsuyama down from seven shots back, but he admitted that will be a tall order if Matsuyama continues to perform at his current clip: "That's exactly what he did at HSBC Champions, and it was not much to do at that time. And possibly, that could be the same tomorrow."

Matsuyama has been developing into a legitimate superstar as of late, and if he can seal the deal at the Hero World Challenge, he may soon become a threat to challenge for world No. 1 status.

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