Hideki Matsuyama of Japan celebrates on the 18th inexperienced after successful the Masters at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership on April 11, 2021
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan celebrates on the 18th inexperienced after successful the Masters at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership on April 11, 2021 in Augusta, Georgia.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Pictures Sport | Getty Pictures
Hideki Matsuyama overcame a nervy begin and a pressure-induced back-nine stutter to grow to be the primary Japanese participant to win a males’s main with a one-shot victory on the 85th Masters.
His in a single day four-stroke lead was shortly diminished to 1 when he bogeyed the primary and Will Zalatoris began with a pair of birdies, however Matsuyama restored his composure and appeared set for a back-nine procession when he led by six with seven holes to play.
However Xander Schauffele then made 4 straight birdies from the 12th whereas Matsuyama made an enormous error together with his second to the 15th, airmailing the inexperienced together with his adrenaline-fueled second and discovering the water over the again, resulting in a bogey-six which had his lead whittled down to only two.
Nonetheless, Schauffele then took an aggressive line to the quick 16th and got here up a fraction quick, his ball kicking left, lacking the bunker and discovering the lake, easing the strain on the long-time chief as he knocked a protected tee shot to the appropriate aspect of the inexperienced, though he then three-putted from the highest tier.
Schauffele compounded his preliminary error by going over the again of the inexperienced together with his third and he wanted three extra to get down, operating up a triple-bogey six which ended his Masters hopes for one more 12 months, whereas Matsuyama appeared to regroup having slipped to 11 beneath with Zalatoris within the clubhouse on 9 beneath par.
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The chief steadied himself with a rock-solid par on the 17th, hammered an ideal drive up the final earlier than inflicting himself extra consternation when he blocked his tentative method into the bunker to the appropriate of the inexperienced.
However he was all smiles moments later after forking out to 6 ft, and lacking the par putt mattered little as he left a tap-in for a momentous win, 10 years on from his first go to to the Butler Cabin because the main newbie within the 2011 Masters.
Any expectations of coasting to victory had been quashed as early because the opening gap, when Matsuyama carved a fairway-wood means proper and began with a 5, simply after Zalatoris had made birdie on the second from the entrance bunker to shut inside one.
However the American erred on the subsequent and Matsuyama replied with a 4 of his personal on the second, and he was content material to grind out the pars as his rivals fell away one after the other, with Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Marc Leishman unable to match the scoring of Jon Rahm, who raced spherical in 66 to shut on six beneath.
Matsuyama pulled additional forward with birdies on the eighth and ninth to go 5 clear on the flip, though he wouldn’t get by Amen Nook unscathed as he dropped his second shot of the day on the 12th, solely to get it again at 13th regardless of a wild drive and a pulled second that threatened to vanish into the Azaleas.
The 29-year-old pitched it shut and made the putt to get again to 13 beneath within the midst of Schauffele’s valiant cost, which got here to an abrupt halt three holes from residence.
Matsuyama’s three-putt was shortly forgotten with one of the vital worthwhile pars of his profession on the penultimate gap, and one poor shot on the final didn’t have an effect on the result as he joined YE Yang because the second Asian man to gather a serious title.
His 71 was simply sufficient to pip Zalatoris (70) into second place, whereas a deflated Schauffele parred 17 and 18 to signal for a 72 which left him in a share of second with 2015 champion Spieth, who was too far again to make a big problem after taking part in the primary eight holes in two over.
Talking by a translator, Matsuyama stated: “I am actually pleased. My nerves did not begin on the second 9, it was proper from the beginning and proper to the final putt.
“I used to be fascinated with my household all the way in which spherical right this moment and I am actually pleased that I performed effectively for them.
“Hopefully I will be a pioneer on this and plenty of different Japanese will observe and I am glad to have the ability to open the floodgates hopefully and plenty of extra will observe me.”
Spieth did rally with a birdie at 9 and a back-nine 33 to shut on seven beneath and earn his fifth top-three end in eight Masters appearances, with Rahm’s red-hot end propelling him into the highest 5 alongside Leishman.
Lengthy-time chief Rose’s hopes of stepping into the combo had been scuppered when he bogeyed three of the primary 5 holes, the two-time runner-up labouring to a 74 to drop to 5 beneath, one forward of 2018 champion Patrick Reed and Canada’s Corey Conners.