PARIS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The golf competition for the men's individual at the Paris Olympics intensified as Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Xander Schauffele of the United States, and Tommy Fleetwood of Britain shared the lead at 11-under after the second round on Friday.
Despite a double bogey on the 18th hole, Matsuyama finished with a solid 3-under 68, highlighted by three birdies on the front nine and four more on the back nine. His otherwise strong performance was slightly marred by the late stumble at the 18th hole where he got a double bogey.
Fleetwood matched Matsuyama's score with an impressive second round, nearly setting a course record. His day included an eagle on the third hole and only one bogey on the final hole, along with six birdies that propelled him into the leading pack.
Schauffele, the defending champion, recovered from an early bogey to card a 66, keeping him firmly in contention at the top of the leaderboard.
Among the Chinese players, Dou Zecheng and Yuan Yechun showed consistent play, ending the day in 25th and 43rd positions, respectively.
