Here are a few ways you can pull off the seemingly impossible (but it certainly won’t be easy).
Watching golf inherently makes you want to play golf, which makes Masters week equal parts pleasure and pain.
From the sounds of birds chirping and Jim Nantz on the call to the breathtaking drone aerials of the undulating fairways, golf viewers spend all week drooling over the mere thought of driving down Magnolia Lane for a round at Augusta National Golf Club, ranked No. 3 among Golfweek’s Best classic courses.
So how does one go about scoring a round on one of golf’s most famous courses? Here are a few ways you can pull off the seemingly impossible (but it certainly won’t be easy).
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama celebrated his victory at the Masters back home in his native land and brought the Green Jacket along for the party.
At the 2019 Zozo Championship, the PGA Tour’s first official tournament in Japan, Jordan Spieth was paired in the first two rounds with Australian Adam Scott and Japan’s favorite son, Hideki Matsuyama. It gave Spieth a first-hand taste of what the life of a rock star must be like.
“I remember walking off the first tee talking to Adam and being like, I remember him saying, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’ I mean, it was six deep the entire first fairway,” Spieth recalled. “It was probably the biggest Thursday crowd and most like, maybe most exciting, most nerve-wracking crowd I had ever played in front of on like a Thursday and Friday. It was bizarre. And then I can only imagine, obviously, what this Masters impact has had over there.”
As Spieth, the 2015 Masters champ noted, he didn’t have an entire country living and dying with his every swing. If Matsuyama had rock-star treatment then, his popularity has soared since he became the first male Japanese golfer to win one of the four majors, capturing the Masters on April 11 by one stroke over Will Zalatoris.
When last spotted in the US, Matsuyama, 29, was strolling through a Chicago airport carrying the winner’s Green Jacket en route to a commercial flight to Japan, where he enjoyed showing off his new prized possession to his parents and friends. He also wore the Green Jacket on two other occasions – first for a press conference and then to receive the Prime Minister’s award from Japan’s Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo.
“I realize now the responsibility that goes with a major championship, especially the Masters,” Matsuyama said, “I’m honored. I’m flattered by the added attention, but at the same time, sometimes it’s difficult to say no. But it goes with the territory and, again, grateful that I have this opportunity and I’ll try my best to prepare well for what’s to come.”
Matsuyama hardly touched a club while he was in his native land, and he said he planned to use this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch “to try to find my game again and prepare for the PGA Championship next week.”
Hideki Matsuyama poses with a framed, autographed Masters flag that he gave to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on April 30, 2021. Matsuyama received the Prime Minister’s Award in Tokyo on Friday for winning the Masters. (Photo: Masanori Takei/Kyodo News via AP)
If anyone can avoid a Masters hangover, it’s Matsuyama, who has never shied away from hard work. As a matter of fact, Zalatoris, the Masters runner-up, identified Matsuyama’s work ethic as the trait he most admires in the Japanese star.
“The guy just absolutely grinds his tail off,” said Zalatoris, who stopped to congratulate Matsuyama in the parking lot on Tuesday, and noted he’s a constant club tinkerer. “It’s just kind of cool to see a guy try to find the tiny intricacies in different clubs and his golf swing. It’s really admirable to see someone who is that passionate about excelling at this game.”
Matsuyama has been so busy since his life-changing triumph that he hasn’t watched the Sunday broadcast of the Masters yet, but seeing the highlights brought back a flood of emotions.
“I got nervous again, just like I was playing, and it was, at some points, difficult to watch because I was so nervous,” he said.
Matsuyama described winning the Masters as both a sense of relief after previous close calls at the majors and a confidence booster, one that he hopes can spur him to even greater heights.
“It had been awhile and now moving forward and looking forward I still have the drive to want to win more on the PGA Tour and hopefully the confidence or the relief,” he explained. “It’s kind of an unusual combination of the two feelings of how I look at myself and hopefully I’ll be successful in the future.”
While he has time to select his menu for the Champions Dinner held on the Tuesday of Masters week, Matsuyama said he’s leaning towards serving sushi.
“I’m a little worried,” he said. “I don’t know if everyone will really like sushi or not, but I’m going to check with some people and get their advice and what they think. There’s a lot of really good food from Japan, a lot of, some of the best beef in the world, so I’m thinking about that and looking forward to it next year.”
On Friday, the 29-year-old earned another esteemed honor.
Matsuyama received the Prime Minister’s Award from Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo after becoming the country’s first male major champion.
“Due to the influence of the coronavirus, both worldwide and across Japan, we are all living different lives, but even in these times, if this win can provide a sliver of hope to people, and inspire more kids, or even just one kid to want to try and play golf in the future, that makes me extremely happy,” said Matsuyama. “I am very happy to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for winning the Masters.”
Matsuyama, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour – including two World Golf Championship titles – is the 34th individual recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award.
Today, #TheMasters Champion Hideki Matsuyama was recognized for “bringing courage and hope” to the people of Japan as he was recognized with the Prime Minister's Award, one of the country’s highest honors.
“If by me winning the Masters inspires little children to think that they too can now win the Masters, then that makes me extremely happy. I’d be thrilled if other athletes and kids look at golf and want to get better. I will continue to do my best,” Matsuyama added, while noting his work this year is just beginning.
“This just makes me want to work even harder and do even better, and I thank you all for your continued support. I will work hard to win a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.”
It took 8 years but this Golfweek story let readers know that Hideki Matsuyama had the potential to be Japan’s first male major winner.
Editor’s note: This story on recently crowned Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama originally ran in the Aug. 2, 2013, issue of Golfweek.
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO – After playing the first two rounds of the 2013 RBC Canadian Open with 21-year-old Hideki Matsuyama, Australian Greg Chalmers was so impressed with the Japanese standout’s game that he planned to jot Presidents Cup International team captain Nick Price the equivalent of a letter of recommendation.
Chalmers will be relieved to know that Price already has taken notice. In a blog posting after the U.S. Open, Price wrote of Matsuyama, “He’s not scared of the big arena. Obviously, he enjoys it, so I’ll keep a really close eye on him.”
Matsuyama, who turned professional in April, has risen to No. 33 in the Official World Golf Ranking, making him the highest-ranked Asian. [Note: He’s climbed as high as No. 2 and his Masters win lifted him back to No. 14.] He also is holding steady in eighth place in the Presidents Cup standings after posting victories at the Tsuruya Open and Diamond Cup tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour.
Moreover, he proved his game travels by becoming the first Asian to record back-to-back top-10 finishes in majors, at the recent U.S. and British opens. (He finished T-16 at the RBC Canadian Open.)
Meanwhile, Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa, also 21, chopped his way to a round of 80 at Glen Abbey and missed the 54-hole cut. So far, his first full season as a PGA Tour member must be characterized as a disappointment. His game seems a shell of its former self, and his world ranking, which has plummeted to No. 158, reflects it.
At home, there still is no substitute for Ishikawa. For a while, it seemed that with each tournament his celebrity grew. But fame is a force, and the public is always partial to the next big thing. Many Ishikawa supporters already have switched allegiance to the Matsuyama camp. His torrid play has brought a new kind of focus and unceasing attention on Matsuyama back home.
When asked if he has attained Ishikawa’s rock-star status, he answered, “I’m just same old me.” With a mischievous smile, he added, “I’m not as handsome as Ryo is.”
This may be the dawn of Japan’s next rivalry. What separates the two upstarts, who have known each other since junior high school, from Jumbo Ozaki and other Japanese touring pros is their recognition that the measure of greatness must come on a larger stage.
“My dream has always been to play on the PGA Tour,” Matsuyama said.
If Ishikawa versus Matsuyama is to materialize, it likely will play out here. Beginning with pitcher Hideo Nomo in 1995, Japanese sports fans have watched the best athletes flock to America. It was big news in Japan when Matsuyama and Ishikawa played nine holes together in a July 23 practice round. Yasuhiro “JJ” Tanabe, a freelance photographer who covers the Tour, said it was the equivalent of Tiger and Phil playing, “only they get along.”
Asked to assess Matsuyama’s game, Ishikawa answered with grudging appreciation. “If you watch him on the range, he’s like a regular player, but if you watch him on the golf course, he’s a different player,” Ishikawa said. “He’s a tough competitor and has a lot of confidence now.”
Hideki Matsuyama at the 2013 PGA Championship.
To the casual fan, Matsuyama may have gained recent notoriety for being assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play during the third round of the Open Championship. To Matsuyama, the dispiriting episode is already forgotten. Chalmers, for one, deemed Matsuyama’s pace of play a non-issue. “I can think of a hundred guys out here that are worse,” he said.
Matsuyama reminded Chalmers of a more powerful version of K.J. Choi. Robert Turner, Matsuyama’s U.S.-based interpreter, worked in a similar capacity for the late Seve Ballesteros in Japan for more than 10 years and said Matsuyama has the same passion and love for the game as Ballesteros. “He can’t get enough of it,” Turner said.
To bolster his contention, Turner recounted how Matsuyama returned to Merion’s practice green after shooting a Sunday 67 at the U.S. Open, where he finished T-10. While most players packed to leave, Matsuyama hit putts for more than an hour, then hit balls as if he could improve his performance and get ahead of others through sheer repetition.
“He’s fearless too,” Turner said, “although maybe that’s being 21.”
Matsuyama sounded fearless when he was asked to name his biggest highlight this year. It could’ve been winning in his second event as a pro, or his success in the majors or perhaps the chance to see the world (he visited Niagara Falls while in Canada). Instead, Matsuyama answered, “I haven’t had it yet.”
He again spoke from the heart when asked what he’d like readers to know about him.
“I’d like to have their support and have them cheer for me,” he said. “That would mean the world to me.”
Conners hails from a small region in rural Ontario, Canada, about two hours from Toronto, and was immortalized as only a Canadian can be — through a Tim Hortons donut.
Robert Rumph owns the Tim Hortons — a famous coffee and donut chain named for a hockey player that stretches across Canada and into some Northern U.S. towns — in Listowel, a small unincorporated area where Conners was raised.
Rumph was watching when Conners buried the ace, a shot that landed short of the hole and rolled in.
Rumph said Conners’ ace sent waves through the nearby Listowel Golf Club, a 27-hole semi-private golf course, designed by Dave Moote, RF Moote & Associates. Although the clubhouse is currently closed, Rumph said “runners” were sent out on the course to tell all the club’s patrons that Conners had just pulled off Masters history.
“It was amazing,” said Rumph, who has plenty of connections with the family, including knowing Conners’ dad Mike from his time as a local hockey coach. “Corey has made everyone in this area so proud. And when he’s home, he usually stops around and has a donut, so we made this special donut for him.”
The donut is covered in green icing and has a small while “golf ball” of icing on top. It’s not the first time Rumph has created something for Conners, when the 2010 Ontario Amateur champ first qualified for the Masters, the store had a similar donut, minus the golf ball.
“This time we had to add a little something extra,” Rumph said.
Conners should be able to foot the bill for plenty of patrons in the town of 7,500 — he finished T-8 at the Masters and has 11 top-25 finishes in 17 starts on the PGA Tour this season, amassing $2,785,045. He currently sits 42nd in the Official World Golf Ranking and 29th on the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.
Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama casually hung out at Atlanta’s airport with the green jacket after his win at Augusta National.
Picture this: It’s Monday after the Masters and you’re slowly moving through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport making your way to your gate to fly home after a weekend at Augusta National.
Something green catches your eye. That’s not uncommon at the biggest airport for Masters traffic the day after the tournament. Then you look a little closer and realize it’s a green jacket. Scratch that, the green jacket.
After his historic major championship victory, the 29-year-old native of Japan was spotted casually sitting at the airport with the green jacket draped over a chair like an old coat.
His history-making win earned kudos from the biggest name in the golf world: Tiger Woods.
“Making Japan proud Hideki,” Woods wrote on his verified Twitter account. “Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical @TheMasters win will impact the entire golf world.”
Woods, who was absent from the 2021 tournament as he continues his recovery from a February car crash, has captured the green jacket five times, most recently in 2019, the most recent Masters to be played in its traditional April timeslot. That title marked Woods’ first major in nearly 11 years, and 15th major title overall.
Making Japan proud Hideki. Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical @TheMasters win will impact the entire golf world.
Woods himself made Masters history when he won his first green jacket in 1997. That victory, the first major win of his career, made Woods the first African-American winner at Augusta National.
Matsuyama is just the second man from an Asian country to ever win a major, per The Associated Press. Y.E. Yang of South Korea beat out Woods to win the 2009 PGA Championship.
Will Zalatoris’ first visit to Augusta National was an “absolute dream” that ended with a runner-up finish at the Masters.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — As Will Zalatoris sat in his press conference following the 85th Masters Tournament, he learned a very important thing about himself during his first Masters effort at Augusta National Golf Club.
“I think the fact that I’m frustrated I finished second in my third major says something, and the fact that I didn’t let any moment really get to me, was really exciting,” Zalatoris said. “And obviously my two majors as a pro, I finished sixth and runner-up. I know if I keep doing what I doing, I’m going to have a really good chance in the future.”
But that’s always been Zalatoris, the hardworking, overachieving and disciplined golfer that earned his way from Monday qualifiers on the Korn Ferry Tour to a special temporary exemption on the PGA Tour to runner-up at the Masters.
All in a 17-month span.
“He’s prepared his whole life for this moment. And he’s ready for this moment. … This will be the first of many times he’ll be here. He hasn’t been overwhelmed by the moment all week so this doesn’t surprise me,” said Josh Gregory, Zalatoris’ short game coach and former Augusta State golf coach.
As frustrated as Zalatoris was of falling just one stroke short of tying this year’s champion, Hideki Matsuyama, he also appreciated what he had accomplished.
“Absolute dream. To be in this situation, I’ve been dreaming about it for 20 years,” Zalatoris said. “… It was a lot of fun, obviously, hearing a lot of the patrons over the last — especially the last couple days, saying my name, you know, cheering me on on every single hole between every single shot. It was really special.”
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By Sunday, Zalatoris had a traditional Masters throng of patrons – even with the limited capacity – following his path through his final 18 holes as a Masters rookie. Gregory couldn’t help but throw a waist-level fist pump after Zalatoris’ final birdie of the day on No. 17.
Patrons barked his name as he walked up each fairway, they cheered his birdies on No. 15 and 17, they gave him a standing ovation as he approached the green at No. 18. He even had fans on Twitter.
Zalatoris said he took in his entire experience, from his three birdies in the first nine, to the final time he stood on the bridge at the 12th hole to take in Amen Corner one more time.
Gregory said Zalatoris was working for this moment up until, very literally, the last possible second. After he signed for his 2-under 70 and became the leader in the clubhouse, with Matsuyama two holes back, Zalatoris went straight to the practice area, in the event of a playoff.
That’s the same determination Gregory preached when he spoke highly of Zalatoris’ willingness to work during the practice rounds. He compared Zalatoris’ work ethic to that of Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, two other understudies of Gregory.
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“As he told me on Thursday after the first round, ‘I can win this thing.’ He’s not intimidated by it and he’ll be excited no matter where he finishes and also a little disappointed if he doesn’t win,” Gregory said.
In Gregory’s eyes, he always saw Zalatoris getting to this point. The wins will come. His ascent to becoming one of the world’s best golfers isn’t far behind.
“He’ll be one of the best players in the world. He’ll be a Ryder Cup (player), he’ll be a major championship winner,” Gregory said.
Xander Schauffele never gave up and can hold his head high after another close call at the Masters.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Xander Schauffele experienced a full range of emotions on Sunday in the final round of the 85th Masters. He fell out of contention early, roared back to make it interesting and just as he looked poised to make one of the great comebacks in tournament history, he made a round-ruining triple bogey.
On the scorecard, it added up to a round of even-par 72 and a tie for third place, but that doesn’t begin to tell the story of this tragedy in three parts.
Schauffele entered the final round at Augusta National Golf Club trailing Hideki Matsuyama by four strokes. After a birdie at the second, Schauffele appeared to have shot himself out of the tournament with what he called “a messy start.” He made costly bogeys at the third and fourth hole and then doubled the fifth, which he failed to par in all four rounds. At 3 over for the day through six holes, Schauffele’s deficit had grown to seven strokes. He could’ve been deflated, but he was not.
“I never gave up,” Schauffele said. “It almost took the edge off.”
The rollercoaster round began to turn for the better with birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 and kicked into high gear with a string of four straight birdies beginning at No. 12. Meanwhile, Matsuyama made his first bogey of the day at No. 12 and over shot the 15th green with his second shot and made another bogey to give Schauffele a glimmer of hope. He trailed by two strokes and had the tee at the par-3 16th hole.
“I was coming in hot. I was feeling good,” Schauffele said. “I was in full chase mode.”
This was his chance to apply the pressure. Instead, he left Matsuyama off the hook. Schauffele tried to draw an 8-iron at the 170-yard hole and his shot hit a wall of wind and landed short on the bank and rolled into the water. He went on to make triple bogey, sealing his fate.
“I hit a perfect 8 iron,” he said. “The wind was into us, left to right. It got smoked and eaten up. You could kind of see it. The ball hovered there.”
It is a shot that Schauffele likely will play over and over in his mind and think about what could have been. Adding insult to injury, when he took his drop, his 9-iron flew the green.
“It seemed like it went downwind almost. (Caddie) Austin (Kaiser) and I just kind of painfully laughed at each other and said, ‘Well, I guess it switched again,’ ” Schauffele said.
Let the second-guessing of how he played his tee shot at 16 begin.
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“I think a lot of great shots into 16 are left to right. High cuts into that mound,” Schauffele said. “I’ve been hitting a good high cut all week. I just didn’t think of it at that time. I hit like a hard draw 8-iron, and it wasn’t the shot. Moving forward, just kind of throw it in the memory bank. I’m going to keep collecting thoughts. Hopefully, I keep coming back here for years to come, and the goal is to win one day.”
Despite another close call at the Masters — Schauffele finished tied for second in 2019 — he still held his head high with how he battled back to give Matsuyama a scare.
“I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” Schauffele said. “I might be tossing and turning, but I’ll be OK.”
