The capital of Georgia is Augusta. In his quest to become the first man from Japan to win one of golf’s major championships on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club, Hideki Matsuyama felt the pressure of a golf-obsessed, yet championship-depleted country hanging over every one of his shots.
Superstar of Japan Hideki Matsuyama Makes History With Masters Title
Even as it appeared he was going to run away with this Masters, he nearly had a meltdown on the back nine, hitting the water with a shot and seeing his five-shot advantage drop to two.
Matsuyama overcame his initial disappointment to become the first Japanese man to win a major tournament, cheered on by a legion of adoring fans. He shot 10 under par for the tournament, which was enough to overcome a late slump and give him the victory by a single stroke. A green jacket allowed him to let out a sigh of relief.
Even before this win, which quickly vacillated between near certainty and epic calamity, the 29-year-old had already become 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.”
There was a time when his four-shot lead going into Sunday at Augusta National looked as safe as any advantage there is. While Matsuyama bogeyed the first hole due to a wayward initial drive, lanky 24-year-old American Will Zalatoris started off with two birdies. The two-goal advantage quickly shrank to a single point.
With a birdie on the second hole, Matsuyama regained his composure and a five-shot lead going into the 14th. That’s when the advantage started to fade significantly again.
Even as Matsuyama struggled, his teammate Xander Schauffele kept sinking. In a matter of minutes, the lead shrank to two as Matsuyama hit the water on the par-5 15th.
After Matsuyama handed Schauffele a chance, the latter blew it and ended himself seven strokes behind the leader. The 27-year-old American hit into the water on the 16th, resulting in a triple bogey and a two-stroke deficit to Matsuyama, who could only manage a bogey.
As a result, Matsuyama finished at 11 under, two strokes ahead of Will Zalatoris, who had recently finished at 9 under.
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