Matsuyama’s Masters Should Inspire Many In The Sport

Hideki Matsuyama became the first male golfer from Japan to win a Major Championship when he prevailed in the US Masters at Augusta this year. His victory will inspire many other golfers around the world to think that they too can land a Green Jacket.

The prestigious tournament in Georgia has been dominated by players from the United States and Europe since its inauguration. Gary Player (South Africa), Vijay Singh (Fiji), and Angel Cabrera (Argentina) are notable winners and exception to this trend, and this latest result is a huge boost for the sport in Asia.

10 years prior to his success in the Masters, Matsuyama was the leading Amateur player at Augusta. He then went on to have a fantastic start to his professional career, with victories coming in the WGC-HSBC Champions and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, as well as five PGA Tour titles.

The Japanese number one also had seven top-10 finishes in golf’s big four tournaments before his win in Georgia, including a fifth-place finish at Augusta in 2015. His form over the last 12 months has not been great, but he bounced right back to his best with some excellent golf across the four days.

Matsuyama’s round of 65 on Saturday (known as moving day at Augusta) really set him up for the title ahead of the final round. He closed the tournament with a 73, enough to finish ahead of the field by one shot in a famous success.

The Masters champion will be hoping to add to his Major tally when he tees off in the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort Ocean Course in May. He is 22/1 in the golf betting for the next Major Championship on the calendar. So, it will be interesting to see if Matsuyama surpasses these odds as the championship progresses. 

Golf Flourishing Around the World

The top 50 of the world rankings in golf now include players from all around the globe. Currently, there are 16 different nationalities inside that top 50.

Many players will be looking to emulate what Matsuyama has done over the next few years, not just at Augusta, but also in the other three Major Championships. There is a number of good players who are still bidding for a win in golf’s big four events, including Spaniard Jon Rahm and South Korea’s Sungjae Im.

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In 2020 Im went very close to Masters’ success himself. He finished second behind the runaway winner Dustin Johnson in what was the best performance of his career. The 2020 Honda Classic winner is just 23 years old and could be a top-10 player in the future.

There are also several South African players who are also rising up the rankings and performing well in the events. Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen are just two players from the country who have been producing consistent results over the last couple of seasons.

2021 could be the year where we see more first-time Major winners. It may also be the season where we see some breakthrough stars in the sport, some of whom could rise to the very top of the sport’s world rankings.