Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters Tournament, a major men's golf tournament. He is the first Japanese man to win a major. In an interview after his victory, Matsuyama reflected on the tough battle, saying, "All I could think about was doing my best."
The majors are the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. The Masters, in particular, is a stage where the world's best golfers gather, and the venue, Augusta National Golf Club, is known as a great course with many difficult holes to conquer.
The first time Matsuyama competed in the Masters was in April 2011, when he was a sophomore at Tohoku Fukushi University. The Great East Japan Earthquake struck just before the event. Matsuyama said he was unsure about participating until the very last moment, but he competed against the best players in the world, wearing a shirt with the Hinomaru national flag on it.
In the majors, Hisako Higuchi won the U.S. Women's PGA Championship in 1977, and Hinako Shibuno won the Women's British Open in 2019. However, Japan's male golfers have been unable to get past this thick wall. Matsuyama has broken through this barrier.