With a one-shot victory at Augusta National, Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese man to win a major golfing championship by claiming the US Masters on Sunday. He is only the second Asian man to win a major title after South Korea’s Y.E. Yang pulled off a spectacular 2009 PGA Tour upset against Tiger Woods.
“Hopefully, I’ll be a pioneer, and many other Japanese will follow,” Matsuyama said upon receiving the green jacket from 2020 winner Dustin Johnson.
Matsuyama managed to capitalise on a four-shot lead going into the competition’s final day, shooting a one-over 73 to win with 10 under par. He previously extended his lead to a massive seven shots before some risky play saw him land in the water on the 15th hole.
Now a six-time PGA Tour winner, Matsuyama brought home more than $2 million in prize money for his efforts. With the initial odds on his win going as low as 60-1 across several sportsbooks, this was arguably the tour’s biggest surprise results since Danny Willet’s epic win back in 2016.
In second place was 25-year old US golfing prodigy Will Zalatoris, who came tantalisingly close to capitalising on Matsuyama’s blunders. He finished with nine under in his first-ever Masters tournament.
Xander Schauffele also came close to threatening Matsuyama, but ultimately ended the competition with a disappointing triple-bogey six for a total of seven under, tying for third place with 2015 champion Jordan Spieth. His birdie on the 15th hole brought him to within two shots of the Japanese golfing superstar, but a tee shot straight into the water on the following hole buried all hopes of a late-game turnaround.
Japanese golf is in a great place at the moment, with Tsubasa Kajitani winning the Women’s Amateur tournament at Augusta National just over a week before Matsuyama’s landmark victory. It’s a safe bet that we’ve yet to see the best of Asian golf going forward.
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