Muscat Daily

‘Would be an honour to light Olympic cauldron’

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Augusta, US - Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese man to win a major golf championsh­ip on Sunday, holding his nerve down the stretch to capture the 85th Masters after a dramatic final round.

Carrying the hopes of a nation on his shoulders, Matsuyama calmly grinded out clutch pars and struck for crucial birdies in a pressure-packed march at Augusta National, hanging on over the final holes for a historic one-stroke victory.

Matsuyama took the green jacket symbolic of Masters supremacy, a top prize of US$2.07mn and a place for the ages in Japanese sports history.

"I'm really happy," he said through a translator. "Hopefully I'll be a pioneer in this and many other Japanese will follow. I'm happy to open the floodgate and many more will follow me.

"Maybe a lot of younger golfers thought, 'That's an impossibil­ity,' but with me doing it they will realise it is possible and if they set their minds to it

Augusta, US - Hideki Matsuyama looks forward to the reaction in Japan when he brings home the Masters champion green jacket and he would enjoy the idea of lighting the Tokyo Olympic cauldron.

"I can't imagine what it's going to be like, but what a thrill and honour it'll be for me to take the green jacket back to Japan," Matsuyama said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Three-time Masters cham

they can do it."

After seeing his seven-stroke lead with seven holes remaining shaved to two shots with three to go, Matsuyama watched Xander Schauffele find water off the 16th tee on the way to a triple-bogey disaster. "I felt like I gave him a little bit of a run and made a little bit of excitement for the tournament until I met a watery grave there," Schauffele said. "I'll be able to sleep tonight. It might be pion Nick Faldo of England said Matsuyama should be chosen to light the Tokyo Olympic cauldron next July at the Games opening ceremonies after the historic victory.

"It would be quite an honour," said Matsuyama.

"But I'm not sure about my schedule. If the schedules worked out and I'm in Japan when that happens and they ask me, what an honour that would be."

hard but I'll be OK."

Matsuyama settled for bogey but closed with par at 17 and a bogey at 18 to fire a one-over-par 73 and finish on ten-under 278. “My nerves really didn't start on the second nine," Matsuyama said. "It was from the start today to the very last putt."

American Will Zalatoris was second in his Masters debut on 279 after a closing 70 with US three-time major winner Jordan

Age: 29

Born: February 25, 1992

Birthplace: Ehime, Japan

Home: Sendai, Japan

Height: 5ft 11in/1.80m

Weight: 90.7kg

Turned Profession­al: 2013

Highest World ranking: 2

Current World Ranking: 25

Career US PGA Tour titles: 6

Career major titles: 1 (Masters: 2021) 2021: 2020: 2019: 2018: 2017: 2016: 2015: 2014: 2013: 2012:

The humble Matsuyama will almost certainly be in Japan as a member of Japan's Olympic golf team. The men's event opens July 29, just days after the Games are set to begin.

"I'm really looking forward to the Olympic Games in Tokyo," he said. "If I'm on the team, and maybe it looks like I will be, I'll do my best to represent my country, and hopefully I'll play well."

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) Dustin Johnson (US)

Tiger Woods (US)

Patrick Reed (US)

Sergio Garcia (Spain) Danny Willett (England) Jordan Spieth (US)

Bubba Watson (US)

Adam Scott (Australia) Bubba Watson (US)

Spieth and American Schauffele sharing third on 281.

"It was a fun week," Zalatoris said. "I know I can play with the best players in the world."

Matsuyama became only the second Asian man to win a major title after South Korea's Yang Yong-eun at the 2009 PGA Championsh­ip.

Matsuyama, ranked 25th, hadn't won since the 2017 WGC Akron tournament, but 87 starts later, he matched the victory from his only other 54-hole outright PGA lead, at the 2016 WGC Shanghai tournament.

The best prior majors by Japanese men were Isao Aoki's runner-up effort at the 1980 US Open and Matsuyama's share of second at the 2017 US Open.

No prior Japanese player had finished better than fourth at the Masters. Japan's two previous major golf titles belonged to women, Chako Higuchi from the 1977 LPGA Championsh­ip and Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 Women's British Open.

Matsuyama, 29, would close with three bogeys in the last four holes but blasted from a bunker at 18 to six feet and two putted for bogey to win.

Matsuyama's thoughts were on his family back home in Japan. "I was thinking about them all the way around today," he said. "I was playing it for them."

One by one, Matsuyama's rivals fell back, early stumbles leaving their rallies too little and far too late.

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