On Sunday, Hideki Matsuyama became the first golfer from Japan to win the Masters, capping up a magical weekend at Augusta National Golf Club.
Superstar of Japan Hideki Matsuyama Makes History
Matsuyama, competing in his 10th Masters, carried the hopes of a nation that had never before had a national golfer win a major championship when he shot the lowest round of the tournament (a 7-under-par 65) in the third round and then held off a late charge by Xander Schauffele to win by a single stroke.
Woods claims the first Asian to win the tournament will have an effect on the entire golfing community.
Hideki Matsuyama became the first male Asian golfer to win the Masters on Sunday, overcoming immense pressure and the weight of carrying a nation’s dreams.
Matsuyama shot a final-round 73 to win by one stroke over American rookie Will Zalatoris (70) and take home the $2.07 million first-place prize.
With his final score of 10-under 278, Matsuyama joined Yang Yong-eun as the only male Asian golfers to win a major championship.
Even Tiger Woods was Impressed by Matsuyama’s Victory, Writing that it will have an Effect on the Sport as a Whole.
With his current success, Matsuyama has come full circle in his great career. With the lowest amateur score at the 2008 Masters, he proclaimed his entrance on the world stage and then watched as Phil Mickelson won the tournament and presented Charl Schwartzel with the coveted green jacket.
Last year’s winner, Dustin Johnson, presented Matsuyama with his trophy at Butler Cabin on Sunday, and Matsuyama was beaming with joy.
Hideki Matsuyama, attempting to become the first man from Japan to win one of golf’s major championships on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club, felt the pressure of a golf-obsessed but championship-starved nation with every swing.
However, just as it seemed he was going to run away with this Masters, he dropped a shot in the water and saw his five-shot advantage collapse to two shots on the back nine, flirting with a meltdown.
But with the support of his legion of Japanese fans, Matsuyama rallied to make history as the first Japanese man to win a major championship. He shot a tournament-best 10 under par and only dropped one stroke in the final round to win by one. With a sigh of relief, he put on a green jacket.
Final Words
This win, which swiftly swung from near certainty to epic calamity, capped off the career of a 29-year-old who first came to prominence at this particular course a decade ago and immediately established himself as one of the sport’s brilliant young prospects and one of Asia’s all-time greats.
Matsuyama remarked subsequently, “Hopefully I’ll be a pioneer.”
