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Sports Watch by Dinith Pathi - Asia finally has a “green jacket”

14 May 2021

[caption id="attachment_135828" align="alignleft" width="454"] Hideki Matsuyama has now joined a select group of golfers such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson who have gone on to claim the “green jacket”[/caption]
Asia has never had a winner at the Masters Golf Tournament before. That is until the last Master’s Tournaments which finished on 11 April at the famous Augusta course in the US.

Hideki Matsuyama from Japan delivered the victory that will make all Asian golfers happier and make them feel that they can also achieve this level of play and scale these heights.

But more importantly for Japan, a golf obsessed nation, this was just the kind of tonic that was needed whilst being in the depths of despair regarding the still raging coronavirus pandemic. The Japanese Primer Minister himself was quick to point this out when he went on in National Television to declare “It was really wonderful. While the coronavirus drags on, his achievement moved our hearts and gave us courage”.

Starting golf at age four

Matsuyama who is 29 years old, was born in the town of Ehime. He was introduced to golf at the age of four, by his father. During eighth grade, he transferred to Meitoku Gijuku Junior & Senior High School in Kochi, in search of a better golf environment. He studied at the Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan. He won the 2010 Asian Amateur Championships with a score of 68-69-65-67 for a total of 269. This gave him the chance to compete as an amateur in the Masters tournament in 2011. Thus, he became the first Japanese amateur to do so at this prestigious tournament.

At that Masters tournament in 2011, he became the leading amateur player in the tournament winning the silver cup. In fact, in that tournament, he was the only amateur to make the “cut”. The very next week he finished third in the Japan Open Golf Championship, a leading event in the Japan Golf tour. In the same year in 2011, he won the World University games championship as well as leading Japan to the Gold medal in the team event. And by 2012 he was ranked as the No 1 player in the amateur category in the world.

Causing palpitation back home

Matsuyama turned professional in April 2013 and won his second professional tournament, the 2013 Tsuruya Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Five weeks later, Matsuyama won his third title on the Japan Golf Tour at the Diamond Cup Golf tournament. He followed that with a top 10 finish at the US open in the same year. These exploits earned Matsuyama an entry into the top 50 of the Official World Golf rankings. In the same year with his fourth and fifth victories at the Fujisankei Classic and at the Casio World open respectively, Matsuyama became the first rookie to lead the Japan Tour's money list.

Matsuyama certainly caused palpitations back home during the recent Masters triumph before sealing a historic one stroke success at the tournament. He certainly did not make it easy on himself with some of his stroke play during the last stages of the tournament at Augusta. Matsuyama looked as if he was cruising to victory when he stepped on to the 15th tee with a four-shot lead. A terrible approach into the water behind the green, however, introduced some unexpected late drama, as his playing partner Xander Schauffele notched his fifth birdie in nine holes to close within two shots. That must have given his playing partner Schauffele a sniff of an extremely unlikely victory.

First Japanese to win a major

But just as he was on a roll, he delivered his first triple bogey in 1,040 holes in majors. Matsuyama, who had his second straight bogey at the 16th, could even afford another at the last and still claim the win that will change his life completely. And with this win Matsuyama also stopped a streak of eleven consecutive home victories of US golfers in all the majors held on American soil stretching back to the win of Sergio Garcia from Spain in 2017 at this tournament itself.

Matsuyama after having emerged a decade ago as the man likely to be the first Japanese male to win a major after he finished as the leading amateur at the Masters in 2011, has now joined a select group including the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Garcia who have gone on to claim the jacket itself. His win completed a remarkable double for Japanese golf.

Role model and an inspiration

That is because this followed the victory for Tsubasa Kajitani in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship that prefaced the Masters week. The women golfers of Japan were certainly making sure that the men did not steal all the limelight. But on a more serious note, this showcases the depth of talent in this nation which is hugely encouraging for Asian Golf in general and Japanese golf in particular.

“He’ll be lighting the Olympic flame after this,” said Sir Nick Faldo commentating on US television during the tournament. But of course, in his home country a starring role at the Tokyo Games this summer will surely prove the least of all the accolades he is likely to receive. And much more importantly he will be a role model and an inspiration to the next generation of Asian golfers.

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