It's always easy to pick the favourite, and with big names like Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson lining up on Thursday's first tee, it's easy to see why only a lucky few chose Hideki Matsuyama, a 40/1 underdog, to win the 2021 Masters. For that lucky few, this meant a nice early payday and maybe even a cheeky glass of champagne, but for Matsuyama, this means much more than his first major win - it signals the birth of a new golfing nation.
Matsuyama became the first male Japanese winner of a major golf tournament this past weekend, a mantle he shared with fellow countryman Tsubasa Kajitani who pulled away to win the women's Masters on Saturday.
For those of you who didn't manage to catch Matsuyama's historic 3rd round, it's probably worth the google. After recording an impressive 69 during round 1 and a 70 during round 2, he headed into day three at -4 and barely a head turned in his direction. To be fair, most of the heads had turned to tournament leader Justin Rose who had had an equally impressive tournament thus far, leading after every round. However, round 3 may go down in history as one of the most spectacular rounds of golf ever played at Augusta National.
In a round that saw 5 birdies and an eagle, Matsuyama surged to -11 for the tournament, playing one picturesque shot after another. This put him 4 shots up heading into the final day - shrinking his winning odds to 2/1. On day 4 he played like a true champion, only ever wavering as he neared closer to the 18th. He shrugged off late surges by Will Zalatoris and Xander Schauffele and 2 putted his way to a 1 shot clear margin to become the 2021 Masters Champion.
Make no mistake, Matsuyama hasn't come out of the blue. Starting in 2011, he has had 10 straight visits to the Masters, most notably finishing 5th in 2015. He has also racked up 5 PGA tour wins and 8 Japan Golf Tour wins, effectively becoming Japan's biggest sporting celebrity - think Tiger Woods and the Kardashians all rolled into one.
Now, it may be a bit soon to start wondering, but what's next? Well, with a Japanese Olympics just around the corner, Matsuyama's performance will have inspired many (if not all) of the 9.8 million Japanese golfers to new heights, potentially turning Japan into the next golfing super-giant, that may some day even rival that of the U.S.
For now though, Hideki can relax. After having the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders and a childhood dream achieved, he at least deserves to live in the spoils of his victory now that he is $2.8 million richer.
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| Hideki Matsuyama - sbnation.com |
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