Written by YURI KAGEYAMA and KOJI UEDA
Led by Japan’s prime minister, the country celebrated golfer Hideki Matsuyama’s victory in the Masters — the first Japanese player to win at Augusta National and pull on the famous green jacket.
“It was really wonderful,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said with his country struggling to pull off the postponed Tokyo Olympics in just over three months. “As the coronavirus drags on, his achievement moved our hearts and gave us courage.”
Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, who tied for eighth in the Masters in 1973, said he hoped more Japanese male golfers would be inspired by Matsuyama.
“This is a great achievement for the Japanese golf world,” he said in comments on Japanese media. “And it came about because of Mr. Matsuyama’s own ability to take up challenges, his courage and all the effort that went into that.”
Isao Aoki finished second to Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 U.S. Open, the previous best finish by a Japanese male golfer in a major.
Two Japanese women have won golf majors: Chako Higuchi at the 1977 LPGA Championship and Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 Women’s British Open.
Aoki recalled how Matsuyama won the low amateur title in the 2011 Masters just weeks after the earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors devastated the northeastern Fukushima area of Japan.
About 18,000 people died in the disaster and the area is still struggling to recover.
“This time, your Masters win came at a time when many people were feeling down, with many activities restricted in Japan amid a coronavirus pandemic, and you gave hope to so many people,” Aoki said in comments carried online in Japanese in Golf Digest.
Aoki added: “This win, which was the first for a Japanese as well as an Asian, was a moment we were all waiting for, not just myself but all the Japanese golf fans and those involved in the golf world.”
Nicklaus was as equally effusive on social media.
“I’ve been blessed to spend a lot of time in Japan and I know they love the game of golf,” Nicklaus said. “They’re also very proud people and they’re even prouder today!
“I competed against the great Isao Aoki, and know how revered he was and is. Hideki will also now forever be a hero to his country. The day and moment belongs to Hideki Matsuyama . . . this is a great day for him, for Japan, and for the global game of golf!”
The U.S. Embassy in Japan sent its congratulations to Matsuyama as “the first Japanese golfer to win The Masters.”
Outside busy Shimbashi train station in central Tokyo, retired worker Takashi Atsumi called it a “tremendous result.”
“For him, I think it was a goal that was hard to reach despite his tremendous efforts over the past 10 years,” Atsumi said. “I think it’s absolutely fantastic that he was able to achieve the goal today. I think he set a great milestone for the next generation of Japanese people.”
Related Stories
‹

Chansky's Notebook: Good And Bad DayRarely, if ever, has the state of North Carolina received national attention as it did for eight hours on Sunday.

Chansky's Notebook: Surviving The CourseThe most romantic, and perhaps sexist, chroniclers of history regard golf courses as beautiful creatures that players get to spend four or five hours with. Golf on the greatest courses, or any track, can be both exhilarating and frustrating, which is why Mark Twain coined it “a good walk spoiled.”

Digital NIL Platform Working to Recoup UNC Tennis Star Fiona Crawley's U.S. Open WinningsFiona Crawley may end up getting her deserved money after all. The UNC women’s tennis star who qualified for the U.S. Open in both singles and doubles made headlines when she was forced to reject her $81,000 in winnings from the tournament in order to stay eligible for her senior season with the Tar Heels. […]

UNC's Fiona Crawley Qualifies for U.S. Open; Will Play Singles and DoublesUNC women’s tennis star Fiona Crawley is taking the Big Apple by storm. Crawley qualified for the U.S. Open on Saturday, punching her ticket to the main draw of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. Crawley already clinched her spot in the doubles draw with partner Carson Tanguilig, by virtue of the pair’s NCAA doubles […]

Chansky's Notebook: Fighting SpiritArt Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler. Fiona Crawley may go from wild card to qualifying at the U.S. Open. Carolina’s senior tennis star, reigning ACC and ITA Player of the […]

Chansky's Notebook: Lowballing the OpenArt Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler. What is the USGA going to do about such an easy course? For decades, the U.S. Open has been billed as the hardest golf […]

Chansky's Notebook: The Claret JuggleThe big names are at the Old Course, but their games are not. Finally, the The Open no longer has the adjective “British” in front of it because arrogant Americans concede that the game was invented somewhere else like Europe, where the 150th “Open” begins today at perhaps the most famous 18 holes on the […]

Chansky's Notebook: New Tiger TaleTiger Woods may indeed be a cat with nine lives. Not dishonesty, infidelity or irresponsibility can keep our most popular golfer from losing any of his enormous appeal… about 17 months after a car accident, in which he was speeding and driving recklessly, and was charged for neither. Despite saying his doctors told him they […]

Loeb Among Several UNC Tennis Alumnae to Qualify for U.S. OpenAmerica’s biggest tennis tournament will have a light blue tint in 2021, as several UNC tennis alumnae qualified for the event. Jamie Loeb, who played for the women’s tennis program from 2013 to 2015, will make her second appearance in the tournament after competing in 2015. She qualified for that tournament by winning the NCAA […]
![]()
Prime Minister Leads Celebrations of Matsuyama’s Masters WinWritten by YURI KAGEYAMA and KOJI UEDA Led by Japan’s prime minister, the country celebrated golfer Hideki Matsuyama’s victory in the Masters — the first Japanese player to win at Augusta National and pull on the famous green jacket. “It was really wonderful,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said with his country struggling to pull off the […]
›
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines