Major glory for Japan as Matsuyama wins Masters

Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese man to win a Major Championship as he carded a closing 73 to claim a one shot victory at the 2021 Masters Tournament.

The 29-year-old entered the final day at Augusta National with a commanding four shot lead and he had extended that to six as he reached Amen Corner but the procession turned to high drama on the back nine.

Dropped shots on the 12th, 15th and 16th meant his advantage was trimmed to two shots and when he found sand on the 18th, you could feel the tension around the famous final green.

He splashed out to five feet and while he needed two putts for a bogey, that was enough to give him a ten under par total and a one shot victory over American Will Zalatoris.

Two more home favourites in Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth were then at seven under, a shot clear of Spaniard Jon Rahm and Australian Marc Leishman.

Japan has had two winners in the women's Majors but Matsuyama has now shattered that ceiling for the men, beating his own finish of second at the 2017 U.S. Open and that of Isao Aoki, who also finished second at the same event 41 years ago.

Shingo Katayama and Toshimitsu Izawa had both finished fourth at the Masters before this week, and Matsuyama's victory completed a Japanese double down Magnolia Lane, with Tsubasa Kajitani winning this year's Augusta National Women's Amateur.

South Korea's Y.E. Yang was the first Asian man to win a Major at the 2009 US PGA Championship and Matsuyama has now doubled that total, going one better than another South Korean in Sungjae Im, who finished second at the Masters in November.

The victory is far from a shock for a man that has won two World Golf Championships and been as high as Number Two in the Official World Golf Ranking, but Matsuyama will now forever have a prominent chapter in golf's history books.

"I'm really happy," said the man who was Low Amateur in 2011. "Hopefully I'll be a pioneer in this and many other Japanese will follow. I'm glad to be able to open the floodgates, hopefully, and many more will follow me.

Hopefully I'll be a pioneer in this and many other Japanese will follow. I'm glad to be able to open the floodgates, hopefully, and many more will follow me

"It's thrilling to think that there are a lot of youngsters in Japan watching today. Hopefully in five, ten years, when they get a little older, hopefully some of them will be competing on the world stage.  

"But I still have a lot of years left, so they are going to have to compete against me still. But I'm happy for them because hopefully they will be able to follow in my footsteps."

Zalatoris made a flying start as he holed from 24 feet on the first and got up and down from the sand on the second, and when Matsuyama bogeyed the first following a poor tee shot, the four shot lead was down to one.

But Matsuyama got up and down from the same bunker as Zalatoris on the second to get the shot back as the 24-year-old three putted from just off the third green.

The leader missed golden chances for birdie on the sixth and seventh but a beautiful deft chip set up a gain on the par five eighth.

Zalatoris had also birdied the eighth but he three putted the tenth and when Matsuyama put an approach to three feet for a birdie at the ninth, he led by five at the turn.

Matsuyama found sand off the 12th tee to drop a shot but Zalatoris had also bogeyed Golden Bell and the lead was still five with six to play.

The lead would be cut to four after 14 holes but it was Matsuyama's playing partner Schauffele who was the closest challenger after a brilliant run.

The 27-year-old's race looked to be run as he dropped four shots in three holes from the third but he birdied the seventh, eighth, 12th, 13th and 14th to fly up the leaderboard.

Matsuyama had also birdied the 13th after getting a fortunate bounce off a tree off the tee but he found water on the 15th to drop a shot and, with Schauffele making a birdie as he got up and down from the sand, a lead that was once six shots was down to two.

The leader made another bogey on the 16th with a three putt from 45 feet but Schauffele recorded a triple bogey after finding the water.

Zalatoris birdied the 15th and 17th to keep the pressure on as he carded a 70 but Matsuyama got over the line to make Major Championship history.

Spieth matched Zalatoris' 70 with six birdies and four bogeys, while Schauffele signed for an eventful 72.

Rahm's bogey free 66 contained an eagle and four birdies and was the lowest round of the day, giving him a fourth consecutive top ten at Augusta, while Leishman recorded a 73.

England's Justin Rose was at five under, a shot clear of 2018 champion Patrick Reed and Canadian Corey Conners and two ahead of American Tony Finau and Australian Cameron Smith.