Hideki Matsuyama won the 85th edition of the Augusta Masters on Sunday in a nail-biting finish to become the first Japanese to win a Grand Slam men’s golf title.
At 29 years old, Matsuyama held on to the lead he had reached on Saturday and closed at Augusta National with a final round of 73 strokes and a final lead of just one stroke over American rookie Will Zalatoris.
Matsuyama, ranked 25th in the PGA rankings, is the first Asian player to wear the Masters green jacket and the second to win a Grand Slam title, after South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun at the 2009 PGA Championship.
The Japanese finished the tournament with a cumulative score of 278 strokes, 10 under par, one behind Zalatoris, who was seeking to become the first rookie to win the iconic tournament since 1979.
Two strokes behind were the Americans Jordan Spieth and Xavier Schauffele, who was paired with Matsuyama and reached the end with options until committing a triple bogey on the 16th hole.
Jon Rahm, third in the world ranking, had the best round of the day with 66 strokes, six under par, which took him to fifth place.
In a tournament where he planned the absence of Tiger Woods, winner in 2019 and in rehabilitation from the serious car accident suffered in February, Matsuyama took a prize of $ 2.07 million and a preeminent place in the history of Japanese sport.
His golfers’ best results on the PGA Tour were two runner-up finishes in a major: Isao Aoki at the U.S. Open in 1980 and Matsuyama himself at the same tournament in 2017.
On the women’s circuit, Japan did celebrate wins by Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 British Open and Chako Higuchi at the 1977 LPGA Championship.
Matsuyama had not had a win on the PGA Tour since the 2017 WGC Akron but had been in the top-10 of Grand Slam tournaments seven times.
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Heart-stopping finish
On Sunday the Japanese saw his initial four-shot lead cut to one as he sent his first shot into the trees and made a bogey on the first hole.
But Matsuyama held on and quickly recomposed himself with a birdie on the second hole. As his rivals faltered, Matsuyama saved par on the fifth hole with a 20-foot putt and used a deft touch with the short irons to get birdies on the eighth and ninth.
The Japanese had a five-stroke lead, but between the 12th and 16th holes he went through his worst moment with three bogeys and sending two balls into the water, which triggered the tension at Augusta National.
With four birdies in a row between the 12th and 15th holes, Schauffele pulled within two strokes but ruined his comeback at the 16th by dropping the ball in the water and making his first triple bogey in his 1,042 Grand Slam tournament appearances.
With Schauffele away, Matsuyama could only fight against his nerves and could afford to make a bogey on the last hole to secure the trophy.
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Rahm, excited for the future
Jon Rahm finished satisfied with his performance in Augusta, where he arrived at the last minute due to the birth of his son, and with a final round that motivates him to reach the green jacket in the near future.
“Of course I’m happy. It’s still a Top 5 (finish) in a Major with a great round on a Sunday,” Rahm said after shooting a final round 66, six under par.
“That’s about 15 consecutive rounds of par or better here. I clearly like the place. I play well here. My year is coming up. Hopefully it will be soon,” Rahm said.
At 26 years of age, Rahm is enjoying a brilliant career in which he has already been world number one but has not yet been able to crown it with a victory in a Grand Slam tournament.
Meanwhile, Jose María Olazábal, the only other Spaniard to complete all four rounds at Augusta National (Sergio García missed the cut), closed his performance in 50th place with an 8-over-par overall and a final round 75.
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