Masters champion Matsuyama carries Green Jacket through airport as he flies home to become Japan’s face of the Olympics
MASTERS champion Hideki Matsuyama proudly showed off his Green Jacket at the airport as he jetted home from his incredible triumph.
And Matsuyama is now set to be the face of the Tokyo Olympics after being hailed for inspiring the golf-mad Japanese.
Matsuyama’s one-shot victory over Will Zalatoris made him the country’s first male Major winner and earned tributes from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, as well as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Opinion is already divided over whether he should light the Olympic flame or carry the Japanese flag at the Games in July — or both!
His victory was front-page news in Japan, leading fellow Green Jacket holder Adam Scott to say: “He’s an even bigger star than Tiger Woods is in the rest of the golfing world.”
There are more than ten million golfers in Japan — from a population of 130m — and more courses and high-tech driving ranges per square mile than anywhere else.
But the 2,500 golfing outlets do not come close to satisfying the demand for the game and that problem is only going to get worse after Matsuyama’s triumph.
Its impact was summed up as Suga called a press conference, with the PM saying it was “an amazing feat” from the 29-year old.
He added: “Matsuyama is still young so I have even greater hopes for him in the future.
“With the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, he’s given courage and inspiration to all Japanese people.”
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Nicklaus, 81, a regular visitor to Japan as both a player and course designer, said it was hard to underestimate what having a Masters winner would mean to the country’s fans.
The six-time Augusta champion said: “I want to send my heart-felt congratulations to Hideki Matsuyama for his Masters victory and for being the first Japanese male golfer to win a Major championship.
“I’m not only very happy and pleased for Hideki, but also the whole golfing world of Japan.
“I was able to watch every shot Hideki hit and he played beautifully. Hideki will forever be a hero to his country.”
Woods missed The Masters because of leg injuries he suffered in a car crash, but tweeted congratulations to a player who is a regular practice partner.
The 45-year-old said: “Making Japan proud. Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country.
“This historical win will impact the entire golfing world.”
Matsuyama has lived in Florida since winning the first of his six PGA Tour titles at the 2014 Memorial Tournament.
He has also won eight times on the Japan Golf Tour and became world No 2 in 2016.
But he had gone almost four years without a win before teeing it up at Augusta and had not recorded a top ten in his last 11 starts, dropping to 25th in the rankings.
He is shy and admits having to take questions from the hordes of Japanese reporters who usually follow his every move is “one of the most difficult” things he has to do.
There were only a few at The Masters this year because of travel restrictions imposed by the Covid crisis and Matsuyama admitted that helped him.
He said: “I don’t know a good way to say this, but I find it hard to speak in front of people.
“So maybe it was good for me not having to deal with that.”
The joke among the Japanese media is Matsuyama might not speak much English, but he does not speak much Japanese either!
He can get by in English, but prefers to comment through an interpreter and it was the same at Augusta.
He added: “If I am asked to be part of the Olympic ceremonies, what an honour that would be.
“It is thrilling to think there were a lot of people in Japan watching me.
“Hopefully, some of them will be inspired and will also be on the world stage soon.
“But I still have a lot of years left, so they are also going to have to compete against me!”