Twenty-nine-year-old Hideki Matsuyama made history today by claiming victory at The Masters, becoming the first male golfer from Japan to win a major.
Matsuyama got off to a great start in the first round, recording an eagle and two birdies to go minus-3. He picked up a little bit of ground by going minus-1 in the second round to head into the weekend at minus-4 overall.
But he really picked up steam on Saturday, blowing the opposition out of the water with a minus-7 performance that included an eagle and five birdies to take a four-stroke, minus-11 lead into the final round.
Will Zalatoris seemed like he’d catch Matsuyama with back-to-back birdies to start his final round, cutting Matsuyama’s lead to two. But Zalatoris lost steam on the back nine to finish minus-9.
Matsuyama similarly lost steam on the back nine, suffering four bogeys. But he ultimately held on to win by a single stroke.
It was a historic win for Matsuyama, and just about every outlet recognized the accomplishment of becoming the first male Japanese golfer to win a major. For a golf-loving nation with an estimated 9.3 million golfers, it has to be a prideful moment for him:
Hideki Matsuyama – 2021 Masters champion. #themasters
松山英樹-2021年マスターズチャンピオン pic.twitter.com/P3JDVW5RMt
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2021
One could see the emotion and relief at the end of Hideki Matsuyama’s #Masters win- so impressive how he handled the pressure…and expectations of his own, and his country.
— Hannah Storm (@HannahStormESPN) April 11, 2021
Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters, becoming the first Japanese man to win a major golf championship https://t.co/hR2DejcvXH
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 11, 2021
History made!!
Hideki Matsuyama wins the Masters and becomes Japan’s first men’s major champion. 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/L91AWSif3U
— Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) April 11, 2021
The win at Augusta was Hideki Matsuyama’s first PGA win since 2017. It also ended a three-year run without a top-10 finish in any of the majors.
After that strong performance at Augusta, Matsuyama will undoubtedly be among the betting favorites at the PGA Championship next month.
Congratulations, Hideki!
The post Golf Fans React To Hideki Matsuyama’s Win At The Masters appeared first on The Spun.
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