Hideki Matsuyama makes Japan great

The Augusta Masters was decided between two great stories.

On the one hand, Hideki Matsuyama in search of becoming the first Japanese with a great and the first Asian golfer to wear the green jacket.

On the other, Will Zalatoris and his Cinderella tale, that of a 24-year-old American who made his debut in the tournament and who does not even have an American circuit card yet.

Two dreams face to face.

Between the player with a whole country behind him and the boy who hardly anyone knew, in addition to Jordan Spieth (another with a novel behind) and Xander Schauffele, the Masters were disputed.

The headline went to Matsuyama.

The boy (29 years old) resisted the pressure and with 11 under par he prevailed with two shots ahead of Zalatoris, four over Spieth and Schauffele, and five over a Jon Rahm who came back on a great day to grab fifth place.

The first great in the history of Japanese golf was uncorked in the midst of tremendous tension.

When Matsuyama struck the first blow of the day, he knew there was a whole country watching him (literally: Japanese televisions are an army on big dates like the Masters).

The ball went to the right.

At first, the leader showed weakness.

In tow, Matsuyama charged a

bogey

while Zalatoris had summoned cavalry ahead of him:

birdie

on one and two, and the four-shot distance reduced to one.

"In my family we say that if I was stupid enough to think I could play the Masters, I am also stupid to think I can win," Zalatoris had summarized.

Professional since 2018, he has made merits thanks to invitations in tournaments until in the Masters he has exploded.

He had already warned with a sixth place in the last US Open (the one that bodybuilder DeChambeau beat), and now he is here to stay.

New promises in golf keep coming out.

The competition multiplies every year.

Before the Games

Matsuyama, who was the best amateur at the Masters 10 years ago, had already made history by being the first Japanese to lead a great, after a third round without failure.

The national hero was ready.

And he showed it on the second hole with a

birdie

to temper his nerves, then take advantage of pairs five of eight and 13 and walk with a firm step towards the green jacket.

When his erratic tee shot hit the trees on this hole and the ball returned tame to the fairway, the champion's name seemed to have been written.

He would still get a scare at 15, with the ball in the water, but a triple

bogey

from Schauffele at par three on 16 after four

straight

birdies

settled the film.

Hideki Matsuyama - 2021 Masters champion.

#themasters

松山 英 樹 - 2021 年 マ ス タ ー ズ チ ャ ン ピ オ ン pic.twitter.com/P3JDVW5RMt

- The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2021

Japan has a new idol on which from now on it will redouble its hopes in the greats and in the next Tokyo Games.

And golf welcomed a new country among the Grand Slam winners.

A bite out of glory was Jon Rahm again, who in Augusta does nothing more than make an appointment with the tailor in the green jacket.

There are five participations at 26 years old and in the last four he has been among the top 10: fourth, ninth, seventh and fifth.

A prodigy of consistency without comparison on the circuit and the sign that, as with Seve and Olazabal, the Masters is written in their destiny.

They are four places of honor while in the other three greats together they add two: a fourth place in the 2018 PGA and a third place in the 2019 US Open.

Rahm, after a birdie in the 15th JONATHAN ERNST / Reuters

Without the spotlights on after three straight rounds in the pair, one abyss from the leader, the Basque took off like a rocket.

He was about to sign the

eagle

on the first hole and caught it on the second (par five) to discount three strokes in a blink of an eye and go for it all.

If he couldn't reach the throne, he would fight to get as close as possible.

His return was immaculate, without a

bogey

.

In Barrika's there was the feeling that his first big one again narrowly escaped him.

“It's golf.

It is what it is.

Today I have done what I could not do the first days ”, analyzed Rahm.

“The good thing is how well I have played and knowing that, if one day I need it, I am capable of doing little in this field and I have shown it.

It's fun to think about what could have been.

A pity that he was so far from the leader, ”said the Basque, on his way home quickly to Arizona after the recent birth of his first son, Kepa Cahill.

“Now I finish and I forget about golf and I start thinking about Kepa.

The mentality has changed and I am much more relaxed ”.

Complete classification of the Augusta Masters.

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