Hideki Matsuyama made history on Sunday as Japan’s first male golfer to win a major championship.
Ten years after making his debut as a best fan at the Augusta National, Matsuyama won the final trophy with a Masters victory.
Matsuyama closed with a 1 on 73 and a one-shot victory that ended near the end and never had any serious doubts after Xander Schauffele’s late charge ended with a triple bogey on par-3 16th.
Moments before Dustin Johnson helped him get into the green jacket, Matsuyama didn’t need any interpreter at Butler Cabin when he said in English, “I’m very happy.”
This performance was so masterful that Matsuyama extended his lead to six shots in the back until a few moments of drama. With a four-shot lead, he went for the green in two on par-5th 15th, and the ball bounced hard on the back court and into the hole of the 16th hole.
Matsuyama did well to get away from bogey and with Schauffele making a fourth bird in a row, the lead was reduced to two shots with three to play.
The next swing ended it all. Schauffele’s tea shot at par-3 16 bounced off the hill and watered the pond. His third shot from the drop zone entered the gallery. He finished with a triple bogey 6.
It doesn’t matter that Matsuyama has stopped three of his last four holes. All that mattered was that uphill walk to the 18th green, which just needed to get out of the bunker and grab two putts for victory.
That’s what he did, the last goal for a one-off victory against 24-year-old Masters debutant Will Zalatoris, who finished with a 70 and stayed on the training ground in the event of a playoff .
Matsuyama finished between 10 and 278 for his 15th victory worldwide and his sixth on the PGA Tour.
It was far from a sure thing, closing out 40-1 to win the tournament at William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook. Matsuyama could be found rising 60-1 before the tournament in some sports books, making him one of the biggest long shots the Masters has won since Danny Willett in 2016.
Matsuyama was not a popular choice for gamblers either. As of Thursday, it accounted for only 1% of the money that had been wagered on the odds of winning the Masters sports books at William Hill.
ESPN’s David Purdum contributed to this story.