Hideki Matsuyama bookended a dream year with a win at the Zozo Championship on Sunday in his home country of Japan. Though the two victories technically came in different PGA Tour seasons, what began in April with a green jacket at the 2021 Masters ended on Sunday at the Zozo as Matsuyama grabbed one of the most meaningful non-majors anyone has won in a long time.
Matsuyama shot 65 on Sunday to win by five over Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele, and he dominated the day and week. After taking it deep on Thursday in Round 1 with a 64, he built on his position with two 68s over the next two days. An early eagle on his front nine on Sunday pushed him out in front. Then, as his competition faded, he closed with three birdies and a fairytale eagle at the last.
“It was one of my biggest goals to win in front of the Japanese fans here in this country as well,” said Matsuyama. “So happy that I’ll be able to accomplish that. Also, in 2019, Tiger won the Masters and went on to win the Zozo Championship, so I’m glad that I would be able to emulate that as well.”
In the middle of it all, Matsuyama was unable to medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo (he lost in a playoff for a bronze), which is something he certainly longed for, but the Zozo Championship win this week was more than a consolation prize. It seems that Matsuyama’s primary goal was not to win a specific event, but rather to win in Japan at all. After a Masters victory resonated so globally, he wanted to bring that experience to his home country, no matter how it happened.
In very Hideki fashion, he dialed down how well he actually played this week. For somebody known for one-handed finishes with irons that end up within 10 feet of the cup, this is no surprise.
“I would rate my performance as 2 or 3,” he said, just days after saying that he had less than his “1” game in the tank for this tournament. “From the results perspective, it…
Source : cbssports
