Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, fired a three-under par 68 to seize a one-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the PGA Phoenix Open.
The 33-year-old Japanese star, who won the Phoenix title in 2016 and 2017, made five birdies and two bogeys to stand on 13-under 200 after 54 holes at TPC Scottsdale.
"It was a great day," Matsuyama said through a translator. "I hope tomorrow just to play well and stay on top.
"Having won here twice, it does help, but it's a brand new tournament and there are a lot of guys there at the top that will be battling, so I just need to play well."
Halfway leader Ryo Hisatsune, 10 years Matsuyama's junior and seeking a first PGA triumph, played alongside his idol and nearly shared the lead with his countryman, but missed a par putt at 18 from just beyond five feet for a bogey to stumble into a share of second on 201.
"Kind of a first today for Japan to have two Japanese pros play in a final group," Matsuyama said. "I was hoping we could do it tomorrow."
Dane Nicolai Hojgaard birdied five of the last six holes to fire a bogey-free 65 and shared second with Hisatsune, American Maverick McNealy, who shot 65, and South Korean Kim Si-woo, who shot 66.
"How special to play with Hideki," Hisatsune said. "It's still a really good opportunity for me."
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, chasing a third Phoenix win, fired a 67 to stand on 205 after starting seven adrift.
"I felt like I was really close to doing something special," Scheffler said. "I've put myself behind the eight-ball but that doesn't mean I'm out of the tournament necessarily."
Matsuyama chases a 12th US PGA Tour title and first since last year's Tournament of Champions.
Matsuyama shared the lead when he found a fairway bunker off the 10th tee but blasted to just inside 11 feet and sank a birdie putt. Hisatsune birdied from just inside 10 feet to stay level at the top at 12-under.
McNealy sank a 33-foot birdie putt at 14 and tapped in at the par-five 15th for his third consecutive birdie and sixth in eight holes to grab the lead but Matsuyama's tap-in birdie at the par-five 13th tied him for the lead.
Fitzpatrick holed out from 50 feet for birdie at 14 then pitched inches from the hole to birdie 15, but he endured a double-bogey disaster at the famed stadium-hole 16th and closed with a bogey to fall back.
A bogey at 17 dropped McNealy behind Matsuyama and Hisatsune birdied from just inside nine feet at 17 to match Matsuyama only to bogey the last.
Matsuyama found the left rough off the first tee but sank a 16-foot birdie putt to grab a share of the lead.
Both he and Hisatsune made bogey at the second hole and birdied the third. Matsuyama sank a stunning 47-foot birdie putt at the par-three fourth then made bogey at five while Hisatsune went bogey-birdie in the same span.
'DID WHAT I COULD'
Scheffler, who won the 2022 Phoenix Open despite trailing by nine after 36 holes, birdied the eighth, holed out from a greenside bunker from 49 feet for birdie at the 10th and made a 16-foot birdie putt at 11.
The four-time major winner made bogey at the 12th but answered with birdies at the 13th and 15th.
"Overall two solid days," Scheffler said. "Would have liked to have made a few more birdies coming in but I did what I could."