Hideki Matsuyama

Matsuyama began playing golf with his father, who was also his instructor. He was a student at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai when it was nearly destroyed in a 2011 earthquake. Still, Matsuyama wanted to finish his education and heeded his coach's advice, who said a university career would make him a better player. He won the 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship with a score of 68-69-65-67 - 269. The victory secured an invitation to compete as an amateur at the 2011 Masters, becoming the first Japanese amateur to do so. At the Masters, Matsuyama was the Low Amateur and won the Silver Cup. He was the only amateur to make the cut. A week after his victory at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, he finished T-3rd at the Japan Open Golf Championship.
So it only made sense that Matsuyama had a special place for Augusta National, and he proved that in 2021 when he won the Masters. He became the first Japanese male to win one of golf's major championships with his one-shot victory over Will Zalatoris. It was Matsuyama's sixth win on the PGA Tour in his 187th career start at 29 years, 1 month, 17 days. Became the seventh champion that previously earned Low Amateur honors at the Masters and third in five years, joining Cary Middlecoff, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Sergio Garcia. Shot a bogey-free 65 in the third round and held a four-shot lead entering the final round.
Played on the Presidents Cup team in 2013, '15, '17 & '19
2011 Notes: He played in his first Masters as an amateur, finishing T-27th. Matsuyama won the gold medal at the 2011 World University Games. He also led the Japan squad to the gold medal in the team event. In October 2011, he successfully defended his title at the Asia-Pacific Amateur. In November, he won the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour while still an amateur.
2012 Notes: At the Masters, Matsuyama again made the cut, becoming the first amateur to make consecutive cuts since Manny Zerman did it in 1991 and '92. Finished T-54th but missed earning Low Amateur honors by two strokes to Patrick Cantlay. In August 2012, Matsuyama reached No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
2013 Notes: Matsuyama turned professional in April 2013 and joined the Japan Golf Tour, where he won his second tournament, the Tsuruya Open. Five weeks later, he won his third title on the tour at the Diamond Cup Golf tournament. He also won at the Fujisankei Classic and Casio World Open.
2013 Japan PGA Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 13; In Money - 12; Top-10 Finishes - 10; Scoring Average - 69.32 (rank 1st); Money - Yen$201,076,781 or $2,478,604 (rank 1st); Best Finishes - 1st, Tsuruya Open, Diamond Cup Golf, Fujisankei Classic, and Casio World Open.
He also played in six PGA Tour events, finishing T-10th at the U.S. Open, T-6th at the British Open, T-16th at the RBC Canadian Open, T-21st at the WGC-Bridgestone, T-19th at the PGA Championship and 15th at the Wyndham Championship. His performances catapulted him into the top 125 on the FedExCup standings and money lists, resulting in membership on the PGA Tour in 2014. He played in the Presidents Cup and went 1-3-1.
2014 Notes: Started year on the PGA Tour with a T-3rd at the Frys.com Open. He finished T-4th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He ran into a problem late in 2013 and early 2014 with a nagging wrist injury that caused him to withdraw from the WGC-HSBC, Sony Open, and the Honda Classic. Won first PGA Tour title at The Memorial in his 26th PGA Tour start. They began the final round two strokes back but birdied the par-4 18th hole for the fourth day in a row to force sudden death with Kevin Na. In the playoff, he parred No. 18, the first extra hole, for the win. Became the fourth Japanese-born player to win on the PGA Tour, joining Ryuji Imada (2008 AT&T Classic), Shigeki Maruyama (2001 Greater Milwaukee Open, 2002 HP Byron Nelson Championship, 2003 Wyndham Championship), and Isao Aoki (1983 Sony Open in Hawaii). His win at The Memorial was on the same course that held the Presidents Cup in 2013. He ended his PGA Tour season by advancing to all four FedExCup playoff events, finishing T-30th at The Barclays, T-57th at the Deutsche Bank Championship, T-20th at the BMW Championship, and 22nd at the Tour Championship. His final FedExCup ranking was 28th, and he placed 27th on the money list. Played twice on the Japan Golf Tour: Finished T-17th at the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational and won the Dunlop Phoenix.
2015 Notes: Started the year with a T-3rd at the Frys.com Open and the next week, a T-10th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He kept the good play going in January with a T-3rd at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, where he co-led after the third round and finished a stroke out of the playoff. He was runner-up at the Waste Management Phoenix Open a month later, finishing one stroke behind winner Brooks Koepka. Ended the West Coast swing T-4th, a shot out of the playoff at the Northern Trust Open. At the Masters, he finished 5th. He was T-9th at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play, losing to winner Rory McIlroy, 6 & 5, in the round of 16. He also had a top-10 result at The Memorial, finishing T-5th, three strokes out of the playoff. After finishing T-18th at the U.S. Open and British Open, he played in Japan at the Fukushima Open and finished T-9th. He played all four FedExCup playoffs. Best finish was T-7th at the BMW Championship. He ended the year 16th in the FedExCup rankings and 15th on the money list. He went 2-1-1 in his four Presidents Cup matches. On the Japanese Tour, he finished T-2nd at the Dunlop Phoenix, two strokes behind Yusaku Miyazato.
2016 Notes: Finished 5th at the CIMB Classic. At the Waste Management Phoenix Open, sank a clutch birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force sudden death with Rickie Fowler. At the fourth extra hole, the par-4 17th, Matsuyama took advantage of Fowler's errant tee shot into the hazard with a par to claim his second career PGA Tour victory. The win came on the heels of a T-2nd finish in 2015 and T-4th finish in 2014 at the event. His third top-10 of the season came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he finished T-6th. He was T-7th at the Masters and The Players Championship and missed the cut in his title defense at The Memorial. At the PGA Championship, he finished T-4th, and the next week, T-3rd at the Wyndham Championship. In the FedExCup playoffs, he placed 5th at the Tour Championship. He played 23 events on the PGA Tour and had eight top-10 finishes. He placed 13th in the FedExCup rankings and 9th on the money list. After the season, he played two events on the Japan Golf Tour, winning the Japan Open and the Visa Taiheiyo Masters.
2017 Notes: Started the PGA Tour year with a runner-up finish at the CIMB Classic, finishing three strokes behind winner Justin Thomas. The following week, he won the WGC-HSBC Champions, playing bogey-free golf over his final 45 holes at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China, en route to a tournament-record seven-stroke victory. He became the first Japanese and first Asian winner of a World Golf Championships event with the win. A month later, he finished T-6th at the ISPS Handa World Cup with teammate Ryo Ishikawa on the Japan team at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Australia. The following week, he won the Hero World Challenge by two strokes in the Bahamas. It was his last start in the 2016 calendar year and his fourth victory in his last five worldwide starts (World Cup not included).
In January, he finished runner-up at the SBS Tournament of Champions, three strokes behind Justin Thomas. He defended his title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, defeating Webb Simpson in a four-hole playoff. He became the first Japanese player to earn four victories on the PGA Tour, breaking a tie with Shigeki Maruyama. After that, he finished T-11th at the Masters and was runner-up at the U.S. Open and T-14th at the British Open. He claimed his third victory of the year in his 100th start on the PGA Tour at the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone. He shot 61 in the final round for the five-stroke win. Next week was T-5th at the PGA Championship, three strokes behind winner Justin Thomas. Matsuyama shot 73-72, while Thomas shot 69-68 over the weekend. He played in all four FedExCup playoff events but didn't have a finish in the top 20. He ended the PGA Tour season 8th in the FedExCup standings. He represented the International Team in his third consecutive Presidents Cup, with a 1-2-1 record at Liberty National. On Japan Tour, he finished 5th at the Dunlop Phoenix.
2018 Notes: Played 21 PGA Tour events, making 18 cuts with four top-10 results. He placed 13th in the FedExCup rankings. He started the year 5th at the CIMB Classic. He finished T-5th in an attempt to defend his title at the Hero World Challenge and T-4th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. In search of a three-peat at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he withdrew before his second-round tee time due to a left wrist injury. He didn't return for six weeks and at the Arnold Palmer, finished T-49th. He finished 19th at the Masters, T-13th at The Memorial, and T-16th at the U.S. Open, so he did not have a top-10 since his injury. Made the cut in all four FedExCup playoff events. Was T-4th at the Dell Technologies Championship and Tour Championship.
2019 Notes: Played in 24 PGA Tour events, making 22 cuts with seven top-10 finishes. He was 9th in the FedExCup standings. Finished T-3rd at the Farmers Insurance Open, T-9th at the Genesis Open, and T-8th at The Players Championship. He was 6th at The Memorial and T-7th at the 3M Open. At the FedExCup playoffs was T-30th at the Northern Trust. With a closing round of 63, he was 3rd at the BMW Championship, five strokes back of winner Justin Thomas. At the Tour Championship was T-9th.
2020 Notes: Played in 20 PGA Tour events, making 17 cuts with five top-10 finishes. Finished 15th in the FedExCup standings. He was T-3rd at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, five shots behind winner Justin Thomas. He was 2nd at the Zozo Championship, three strokes behind winner Tiger Woods. T-5th at the Genesis Invitational, three strokes behind winner Adam Scott. He was T-6th at the WGC-Mexico Championship, five shots behind winner Patrick Reed. At the FedExCup playoffs was T-29th at the Northern Trust, T-3rd at the BMW Championship, two strokes out of the Rahm/Johnson playoff, and T-15th at the Tour Championship. He played on the International Team at the Presidents Cup and was 2-1-1. He halved his singles match with Tony Finau.
2021 Notes: Played in 27 PGA Tour events making 22 cuts with three top-ten finishes. He was T-26th in the FedExCup standings. Shot a final-round 63 at the Vivint Houston Open to finish T-2nd, two shots back of winner Carlos Ortiz. After shooting rounds of 68-68 at the Masters in November to put him in contention (he was T-6th, just a shot out of a five-way tie for the lead) shot 72-72 over the weekend to finish T-13th. That would be his best finish for the season going into the April Masters. With rounds of 69-71-65-73, he beat Will Zalatoris by a shot and became the first male player from Japan to win a major. He took a month off and returned to Japan, made his return at the AT&T Byron Nelson, and finished T-39th. He played at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and after shooting 70 tested positive for COVID-19 on July 2nd. Because of this was not able to play in the British Open. He was able to play in the Tokyo Olympic games but lost in the six-man playoff for the bronze medal and finished T-4th. Shot 64-63 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and found himself tied with Abraham Ancer and Sam Burns. Ancer made a birdie at the second extra hole to win, and Hideki finished T-2nd. In the FedExCup playoffs was T-43rd at the Northern Trust, T-46th at the BMW Championship, and T-26th at the Tour Championship.
2022 Notes: Played in 21 PGA Tour events making 17 cuts with six top-ten finishes. He was 11th in the FedExCup standings. Was T-6th at the season-opening Fortinet Championship, six shots back of winner Max Homa. Won the Zozo Championship, the only PGA Tour event in his home country of Japan, by five shots over Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele to earn his seventh PGA Tour title. Marked his second PGA Tour win in Asia and first since the 2016 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. He defeated Russell Henley in a playoff to win the Sony Open in Hawaii, earning his second win of the season. He won with an eagle-3 on the first playoff hole, becoming the first player to win a playoff with an eagle since J.J. Henry at the 2015 Barracuda Championship. The victory came in his 203rd start on the PGA Tour at 29 years, 10 months, and 22 days. With 23-under 257, he became the 11th player in PGA Tour history with a 72-hole score of 257 or better. He was T-8th at the Phoenix Open. Matsuyama has had back problems in his career, and it popped up, forcing him to withdraw from the Players Championship and not play in the WGC-Dell Match Play. He tried to play in the Valero Texas Open, but after a first-round 74, he was forced to withdraw midway through his second round with pain in his neck and shoulder. He was able to defend his Masters title and finished T-14th. After a few months of back pain, he finally got better and shot a final round of 62 at the AT&T Byron Nelson to finish T-3rd, two shots back of winner K.H. Lee. Shot a final round 65 at the U.S. Open to finish 4th, three shots back of winner Matt Fitzpatrick. In the FedExCup playoffs didn't play in the FedEx St. Jude but was T-35th at the BMW Championship and T-11th at the Tour Championship. He played in his fifth Presidents Cup, was 1-3-1, and halved his singles match with Sam Burns.
2023 Notes: Was T-9th at the Farmers Insurance Open. Finished 5th at The Players Championship, 8 shots back of winner Scottie Scheffler. At the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Matsuyama didn't play in his third match, conceding the victory to Max Homa. In a statement from his agent, Matsuyama said: "I experienced some stiffness in my neck this morning while warming up on the range, preventing me from making a full swing. As a precautionary measure, I conceded my match to Max and rest before moving on to the Valero Texas Open next week." At the Masters, he was in contention going into the final round but shot 39 on the back nine for a 75 to finish T-19th. He returned to Japan to receive treatment for his neck pain, missing the RBC Heritage, a designated event. Unfortunately, the treatment didn't help and had to miss the next designated event at the Wells Fargo Championship. He was able to play in the PGA Championship, finishing T-29th. Had a sense of cautious optimism despite the injury-plagued year when he shot a second-round 65 at the Memorial and finished T-16th. At the U.S. Open, it was reported that Matsuyama was struggling with his neck injury but finished T-32nd. Played in the Travelers, finishing T-13th, and missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.