TOKYO – Led by Japan’s prime minister, the country celebrated Hideki Matsuyama’s victory in the Masters – the first Japanese player to win at Augusta National and put 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.