Hideki Matsuyama

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In this Japanese name, the surname is Matsuyama.

Hideki Matsuyama
松山 英樹
Hideki Matsuyama ClevelandGolf4-21 (cropped).jpg
Matsuyama in 2021
Personal information
Born (1992-02-25) 25 February 1992 (age 29)
Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight90 kg (200 lb; 14 st)
Nationality Japan
ResidenceSendai, Japan
Career
CollegeTohoku Fukushi University
Turned professional2013
Current tour(s)Japan Golf Tour
PGA Tour
Professional wins15
Highest ranking2 (18 June 2017)[1]
(as of 19 September 2021)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour6
European Tour3
Japan Golf Tour8
Other1
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentWon: 2021
PGA ChampionshipT4: 2016
U.S. OpenT2: 2017
The Open ChampionshipT6: 2013
Achievements and awards
Japan Golf Tour
leading money winner		2013
Medal record

Hideki Matsuyama (松山 英樹, Matsuyama Hideki, born 25 February 1992) is a Japanese professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He is the first-ever Japanese professional golfer to win a men's major golf championship – the 2021 Masters Tournament.[2][3]

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.[4][5] His six wins on the PGA Tour make him the most successful Japanese member of the PGA Tour in history.[4][5]

He attained his highest rank of second in the Official World Golf Rankings for men in June 2017.[4][6]

Early life and amateur career[]

Matsuyama was born on 25 February 1992 in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. He was introduced to golf at the age of four, by his father. During eighth grade, he transferred to Meitoku Gijuku Junior & Senior High School in Kochi Prefecture, in search of a better golf environment.

Matsuyama studied at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. He won the 2010 Asian Amateur Championship with a score of 68-69-65-67=269.[7] This gave him the chance to compete as an amateur in the 2011 Masters Tournament, becoming the first Japanese amateur to do so. At the Masters, Matsuyama was the leading amateur and won the Silver Cup, which is presented to the lowest scoring amateur.[8] He was the only amateur to make the cut.[9] A week after his victory, he finished in a tie for third at the Japan Open Golf Championship which is an event on the Japan Golf Tour.[10]

In 2011, Matsuyama won the gold medal at the 2011 World University Games. He also led the Japan team to the gold medal in the team event. In October 2011, he also successfully defended his title at the Asian Amateur Championship.[11] In November, Matsuyama won the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour while still an amateur.[12]

In August 2012, Matsuyama reached number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.[13]

Professional career[]

2013[]

Matsuyama turned professional in April 2013 and won his second professional tournament, the 2013 Tsuruya Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Five weeks later, Matsuyama won his third title on the Japan Golf Tour at the Diamond Cup Golf tournament. Following a top 10 finish at the 2013 U.S. Open, Matsuyama entered the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He won his fourth Japan Golf Tour event in September at the Fujisankei Classic. Matsuyama would win his fifth Japan Golf Tour event in December at the Casio World Open. The win also made Matsuyama the first rookie to lead the Japan Tour's money list.

2014[]

For 2014, Matsuyama qualified for the PGA Tour through non-member earnings. In just seven PGA Tour-sanctioned events, Matsuyama had six top-25 finishes, including a T-6 at the 2013 Open Championship.

Matsuyama earned his first PGA Tour win at the 2014 Memorial Tournament, beating Kevin Na in a playoff and moving to a career-high OWGR ranking of 13th. The win was the first for a Japanese player since Ryuji Imada in 2008. In his first full season as a PGA tour member, he finished 28th in the FedEx Cup standings.[14]

Matsuyama would win his sixth Japan Golf Tour event late in the 2014 season. In November, the victory came at the Dunlop Phoenix in a playoff over Hiroshi Iwata.

2015[]

Matsuyama finished fifth at the 2015 Masters Tournament, the best major finish of his career to that point.[15] He finished 16th in the FedEx Cup standings. In 8–11 October, he played for the International Team in the 2015 Presidents Cup and went 2–1–1 (win–loss–half).

2016[]

On 7 February 2016, Matsuyama won the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a playoff with Rickie Fowler. He secured his victory on the fourth hole.[16] The win moved him to 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, the highest in his career.

On 16 October 2016, Matsuyama captured the Japan Open by three strokes over Yuta Ikeda and Lee Kyoung-hoon. The win was Matsuyama's first title at his country's national open and his seventh victory in Japan. The title gives Matsuyama victories in four of the Japan Golf Tour's five ￥200,000,000 events.[17]

On 30 October 2016, Matsuyama followed up his Japan Open triumph by winning the WGC-HSBC Champions, colloquially known as "Asia's Major", in Shanghai. Matsuyama became the first Asian golfer to claim a World Golf Championship since the series was inaugurated in 1999. With the victory, Matsuyama rose to number 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest position and the second highest ever by a Japanese player after Masashi Ozaki, who achieved a ranking of fifth.[18] He later moved up to fifth in the world after the Farmers Insurance Open. On 13 November 2016, Matsuyama won his second Taiheiyo Masters, following his victory as a 19-year-old amateur in 2011. He romped to a seven-shot win over South Korea's Song Young-han.[18] On 4 December 2016, Matsuyama won the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

2016 Olympics withdrawal[]

Although he was the highest ranked male Japanese golfer at the time, Matsuyama withdrew from participating in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games out of concern about the 2016 Zika virus epidemic, which caused several of the world's top players to withdraw from the Olympic golf event.[19]

2017[]

In Matsuyama's return to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he again entered a playoff on Sunday to defend his title, this time against Webb Simpson. On the fourth playoff hole, Matsuyama made birdie to win the tournament for the second time in as many years. After finishing second in the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, while the top three players in the world at the time (Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day) failed to make the cut, Matsuyama reached 2nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest ever, and the highest ever for a male Japanese golfer.

The 2017 season has been a breakthrough year with Matsuyama winning three Tour titles, including his first World Golf Championship, and three second-place finishes in his first 15 events, as well as winning $5,945,990, putting him second on the money list behind Dustin Johnson, before the month of July. He then won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August, shooting a course record-tying 61 in the final round to win by five strokes.[20]

At the 2017 PGA Championship, Matsuyama had opening rounds of 70–64 to share the 36-hold lead, with Kevin Kisner at Quail Hollow.

2019[]

In December 2019, Matsuyama played on the International team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The U.S. team won, 16–14. Matsuyama went 2–1–1 and halved his Sunday singles match against Tony Finau.[21]

2021[]

On 11 April 2021, Matsuyama won the Masters Tournament, becoming both the first Japanese player and the first Asian-born player to win the tournament. He finished with an overall score of 278 (−10), one shot ahead of runner-up Will Zalatoris.[22] At the conclusion of the tournament, Matsuyama's caddie, Shota Hayafuji, bowed to the 18th fairway of the Augusta course as a gesture of Japanese respect.[23]

In August, Matsuyama finished in a tie for 3rd place at the Olympic Games. He lost in a 7-man playoff for the bronze medal.[24] The following week Matsuyama was tied for the lead after 72 holes at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He was beaten in the playoff when Abraham Ancer birdied the second extra hole.[25]

Personal life[]

Matsuyama's wife is Mei (married in January 2017) and his daughter is Kanna (born in July 2017).[26][27]

Amateur wins[]

Professional wins (15)[]

PGA Tour wins (6)[]

Legend
Major championships (1)
World Golf Championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (3)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 1 Jun 2014 Memorial Tournament −13 (70-67-69-69=275) Playoff United States Kevin Na
2 7 Feb 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open −14 (65-70-68-67=270) Playoff United States Rickie Fowler
3 30 Oct 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions −23 (66-65-68-66=265) 7 strokes United States Daniel Berger, Sweden Henrik Stenson
4 5 Feb 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open (2) −17 (65-68-68-66=267) Playoff United States Webb Simpson
5 6 Aug 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational −16 (69-67-67-61=264) 5 strokes United States Zach Johnson
6 11 Apr 2021 Masters Tournament −10 (69-71-65-73=278) 1 stroke United States Will Zalatoris

PGA Tour playoff record (3–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2014 Memorial Tournament United States Kevin Na Won with par on first extra hole
2 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open United States Rickie Fowler Won with par on fourth extra hole
3 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open United States Webb Simpson Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
4 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Mexico Abraham Ancer, United States Sam Burns Ancer won with birdie on second extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (8)[]

Legend
Japan Opens (1)
Japan majors (1)
Other Japan Golf Tour (7)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 13 Nov 2011 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters
(as an amateur) 		−13 (71-64-68=203)* 2 strokes Japan Toru Taniguchi
2 28 Apr 2013 Tsuruya Open −18 (69-63-68-66=266) 1 stroke United States David Oh
3 2 Jun 2013 Diamond Cup Golf −9 (71-69-68-71=279) 2 strokes Australia Brendan Jones, South Korea Park Sung-joon,
South Korea Kim Hyung-sung
4 8 Sep 2013 Fujisankei Classic −9 (66-70-66-73=275) Playoff South Korea Park Sung-joon, Japan Hideto Tanihara
5 1 Dec 2013 Casio World Open −12 (72-66-68-70=276) 1 stroke Japan Yuta Ikeda
6 23 Nov 2014 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament −15 (68-64-67-70=269) Playoff Japan Hiroshi Iwata
7 16 Oct 2016 Japan Open Golf Championship −5 (71-70-65-69=275) 3 strokes Japan Yuta Ikeda, South Korea Lee Kyoung-hoon
8 13 Nov 2016 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (2) −23 (65-66-65-69=265) 7 strokes South Korea Song Young-han

*Note: The 2013 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (2–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2013 Fujisankei Classic South Korea Park Sung-joon, Japan Hideto Tanihara Won with birdie on second extra hole
2 2014 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament Japan Hiroshi Iwata Won with par on first extra hole

Other wins (1)[]

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 4 Dec 2016 Hero World Challenge −18 (65-67-65-73=270) 2 strokes Sweden Henrik Stenson

Major championships[]

Wins (1)[]

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2021 Masters Tournament 4 shot lead −10 (69-71-65-73=278) 1 stroke United States Will Zalatoris

Results timeline[]

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters Tournament T27LA T54 CUT 5 T7 T11 19
U.S. Open T10 T35 T18 CUT T2 T16
The Open Championship T6 T39 T18 CUT T14 CUT
PGA Championship T19 T35 T37 T4 T5 T35
Tournament 2019 2020 2021
Masters Tournament T32 T13 1
PGA Championship T16 T22 T23
U.S. Open T21 T17 T26
The Open Championship CUT NT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary[]

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 1 0 0 2 3 6 10 9
PGA Championship 0 0 0 2 2 6 9 9
U.S. Open 0 1 0 1 2 6 9 8
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 1 3 7 4
Totals 1 1 0 5 8 21 35 30
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (2014 U.S. Open – 2016 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2013 U.S. Open – 2013 Open Championship)

Results in The Players Championship[]

Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
The Players Championship T23 T17 T7 T22 CUT T8 C CUT
  Top 10

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

World Golf Championships[]

Wins (2)[]

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up
2016 WGC-HSBC Champions 3 shot lead −23 (66-65-68-66=265) 7 strokes United States Daniel Berger, Sweden Henrik Stenson
2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 2 shot deficit −16 (69-67-67-61=264) 5 strokes United States Zach Johnson

Results timeline[]

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Championship T34 T23 T35 T25 T19 T6 T15
Match Play R32 R16 T18 T51 T36 T24 NT1 T42
Invitational T21 T12 T37 T42 1 T39 T43 T20 T2
Champions WD T41 WD 1 T50 T30 T11 NT1 NT1

1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = Withdrew
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = no tournament
"T" = tied

PGA Tour career summary[]

Season Starts Cuts
made		 Wins
(majors)		 2nd 3rd Top-10 Top-25 Earnings
($)		 Money
list rank[28]
2011 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2013 7 6 0 0 0 2 6 690,473 0
2014 24 20 1 0 1 4 12 2,837,477 27
2015 25 23 0 1 2 9 19 3,758,619 15
2016 23 17 2 0 1 8 14 4,193,954 9
2017 22 20 2 3 0 7 12 8,380,570 4
2018 21 18 0 0 0 4 12 2,687,477 39
2019 24 22 0 0 2 7 15 3,335,137 23
2020 20 17 0 1 2 5 14 3,665,825 12
Career* 170 145 5 5 8 46 104 29,549,533 42[29]

* As of the 2020 season

Team appearances[]

Amateur

Professional

References[]

  1. ^ "Week 24 2017 Ending 18 Jun 2017" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ Alan Shipnuck (12 April 2021). "Masters 2021: Hideki Matsuyama, quiet star, makes a loud statement for his nation and for himself". Golf Digest. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Hideki Matsuyama wins Masters, becomes first men's major champion from Japan". PGA Tour and Associated Press. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Joel Beall (10 April 2021). "Masters 2021: Hideki Matsuyama and Japan's best male golfers of all-time". Golf Digest. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Ben Everill; Laury Livsey (19 October 2020). "From Miyamoto to Matsuyama: A look at Japan's PGA TOUR history". PGA Tour. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Hideki Matsuyama - World Golf Ranking". Official World Golf Rankings. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Hideki Matsuyama wins spot in Masters". ESPN. Associated Press. 10 October 2010.
  8. ^ Brown, Oliver (11 April 2011). "The Masters 2011 diary: Hideki Matsuyama's tough decision is rewarded". The Telegraph.
  9. ^ Steinbreder, John (10 April 2011). "Matsuyama Gains Priceless Memories". Masters. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Hideki Matsuyama PGA TOUR Profile - News, Stats, and Videos". PGATour. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Hideki Matsuyama wins Asian Amateur". ESPN. Associated Press. 2 October 2011.
  12. ^ Young, Bruce (14 November 2011). "Amateur star Matsuyama wins in Japan". iseekgolf.com.
  13. ^ "All change at the top as Matsuyama moves into top spot". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  14. ^ "FedExCup – Official Standing". PGA Tour. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Masters 2015: Jordan Spieth wins first major with dominant display". BBC Sport. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  16. ^ Nicholson, John (7 February 2016). "Hideki Matsuyama beats Rickie Fowler in playoff at Phoenix Open". PGA of America. Associated Press. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  17. ^ "Japan Open Golf Championship 2016 Leaderboard". Japan Golf Tour. 16 October 2016. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Matsuyama Wins Taiheiyo Masters, His Third Win in Four Weeks". Yahoo. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Hideki Matsuyama of Japan Withdraws from the Olympics in Rio". Golf. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  20. ^ Harig, Bob (6 August 2017). "Win raises Matsuyama's profile ahead of PGA Championship". ESPN. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  21. ^ Dusek, David (15 December 2019). "Presidents Cup grades: Captains, Royal Melbourne score high marks". Golfweek.
  22. ^ "Masters 2021: Hideki Matsuyama claims one-shot victory at Augusta National". BBC Sport. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  23. ^ Ben Morse (12 April 2021). "Hideki Matsuyama's caddie bowing respectfully to Augusta symbolizes emotional Masters win for a proud Japan". CNN. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  24. ^ Stafford, Ali (1 August 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Xander Schauffele wins golf gold as Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey miss out on medals". Sky Sports.
  25. ^ Jackson, Keith (9 August 2021). "WGC Invitational: Abraham Ancer wins in Memphis after playoff with Hideki Matsuyama and Sam Burns". Sky Sports.
  26. ^ "Hideki reveals he was 'secretly' married in January and that wife gave birth to child in July". Golf. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  27. ^ "How Hideki Matsuyama's undisclosed marriage revealed his private nature". Golf. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021. According to the PGA Tour website, Matsuyama’s wife’s name is Mei and their daughter is Kanna.
  28. ^ "Official Money". PGA Tour. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  29. ^ "Career Money Leaders". PGA Tour. Retrieved 1 October 2020.

External links[]

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