Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday to become the first player from Japan to win a major men’s championship.
Matsuyama finished a shot ahead of American rookie Will Zalatoris after picking up four birdies and five bogies for a final round of 73 and 10-under for the four days.
He started the final round 11 under par with a four-stroke lead over four golfers – the Englishman Justin Rose, the Australian Marc Leishman and the Americans Xander Schauffele and Zalatoris.
Matsuyama survived a couple of late slip-ups, and a determined challenge in the nine backs of Schauffele, who finished 7-under, to claim the iconic green jacket in dramatic fashion.
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan reacts after winning the Masters Tournament on April 11, 2021 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Matsuyama became the first player from Japan to win a major championship for men. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
The 27-year-old Schauffele selected four straight birdies before finishing his challenge with a triple bow on the 16th par-3.
“I felt nervous from the beginning of the day until the end,” Matsuyama said. “I thought about (my family) all the time. I’m very glad I was able to play well for them.”
Matsuyama recovered from an opening with a birdie in second, eighth and ninth place. He extended his lead to six shots on the back nine, but left the door open for Schauffele when he hit the water to the green in the par-5 15th in two.
Following Schauffele’s fourth straight birdie, the lead was two strokes with three to play, but the American’s nightmare on the 16th hole claimed 29-year-old Matsuyama’s victory.
Matsuyama landed in the bunker on the 18th, but hit the green to give himself two holes to win the title in his 10th appearance at the tournament.
“Until last week, I was not even in the top 10 (on the tour) or competing for a title this year. I had no expectations, but in Wednesday’s practice, my shots started to feel good again, and I started to think I might have a chance, ‘Matsuyama said.
The native of Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku Island said he hopes to pave the way for other Japanese golfers to win majors.
Hideki Matsuyama (R) of Japan greets his caddy on the 18th green after Matsuyama won the Masters Tournament on April 11, 2021 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Matsuyama became the first player from Japan to win a major championship for men. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
“Hopefully I will be a pioneer and many other Japanese will follow,” he said.
“I would be very happy if my victory here inspires children watching TV to reach this stage and compete against me within five or ten years. For that reason, I want to keep winning.”
The 24-year-old Zalatoris, who played two groups before Matsuyama, has offered to become the first player since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win the Masters on his debut.
He felt two of his last four holes to bat a final round of 70 and missed a playoff match with Matsuyama with a single stroke.
Tiger Woods, a five-time winner of the green jacket, was among the golfers to congratulate Matsuyama on his victory.
In a Twitter message, Woods acknowledged the importance of the outcome for both Matsuyama’s homeland and the world of golf.
“To make Japan proud of Hideki. Congratulations on such a great achievement for you and your country. This historic (Masters) victory will affect the entire golf world,” Woods tweeted.
Make Japan proud Hideki. Congratulations on such a great achievement for you and your country. This historical @TheMasters winning will affect the entire golf world.
– Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) 11 April 2021
Japan Golf Tour chairman Isao Aoki, a longtime member of the PGA Tour, praised Matsuyama for his hard work and said the victory was a dream come true for Japanese golf fans.
“Every golf fan in the country has waited a long time for this moment. It must have cost blood, sweat and tears to become a Masters champion. I hope he will continue with such heart, patience and skill,” said Aoki.
Yasuhiko Abe, who coached golfer Hideki Matsuyama during his Tohoku Fukushi University, keeps special issues of newspapers with Matsuyama’s Masters victory while speaking at a press conference in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on April 12, 2021. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
Matsuyama is the second golfer from an Asian country to achieve a major for men after the South Korean YE Yang’s PGA Championship in 2009.
Matsuyama, a five-time winner at the PGA Tour and eight-time winner at the Japan Golf Tournament, made his amateur debut a decade ago. Only a few weeks after his university town, Sendai, was hit by the earthquake and tsunami disaster on March 11, Matsuyama drew 27th place as the tournament’s low number amateur.
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan delivers a speech after winning the Masters Tournament on April 11, 2021 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
Two women from Japan have won majors – Hisako Higuchi at the 1977 LPGA Championship and Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 British Women’s Open.
Matsuyama’s victory completes a favorable two-week period for Japanese golfers at the iconic club after compatriot Tsubasa Kajitani won the Augusta National Amateur Women’s Championship there on April 3.
Looking ahead, Matsuyama wants to win a gold medal for Japan at home this summer during the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“If (the Olympics) is held, I want to aim for gold. I think my experience today will serve me well,” he said.
Related coverage:
Golf: Hideki Matsuyama leads Masters by 4 strokes to the 3rd round 65
Golf: Tiger Woods congratulates the triumphant Japanese teenager Kajitani