After just five months since Dustin Johnson captured his first Green Jacket, it would be another first time winner for the 2021 edition of the Masters Tournament. 29-year-old Hideki Matsuyama captured his first Major championship title by winning The Masters and becoming the tournament’s first Asian-born champion (second Asian player to win a Major, after Y.E. Yang at the 2009 PGA Championship), and first male Japanese golfer to win a Major championship. But perhaps what stood out even more than Hideki’s win was his caddie’s final bow to Augusta National on the 18th green, paying respect and thanking the golf course. You can imagine how big of a victory this is for the country of Japan and how this will help grow the sport and it’s popularity.
Matsuyama would shoot a gutsy 1-over-par 73 for his final round to win the tournament by one-stroke over Will Zalatoris. But it was Xander Schauffele, who was in the hunt again for a Major, who came closest to challenging Hideki until his triple-bogey 6 on the par-3 16th hole. As of April 2021, Matsuyama has 15 worldwide wins, eight career top-10 finishes in Major championships, and four Presidents Cup appearances. Matsuyama is a two-time winner of tournaments in the World Golf Championships, two-time winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, eight-time Japan Golf Tour winner, and two-time winner of the Asian Amateur Championship. His six wins on the PGA Tour make him the most successful Japanese member of the PGA tour in history. In the video above, watch every shot from Hideki’s final round at Augusta National.
Source: The Masters
