TOKYO
29-year-old Masters 2021 winner Hideki Matsuyama received the Prime Minister’s Award from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo in recognition of him becoming the country’s first male major champion.
A six-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Matsuyama expressed hope that a new generation of golfers will emerge from the Land of the Rising Sun when Tokyo hosts the Olympic Games in July.
“If my winning the Masters inspires little children to think that they too can now win the Masters, then that makes me extremely happy. I’d be thrilled if other athletes and kids look at golf and want to get better. I will continue to do my best,” he said.
Matsuyama is a favourite for the Olympics Gold at Kasumigaseki Country Club, the same venue which saw him lift the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship title in 2011.
A victory that provided hopes and dreams for an entire country. 🇯🇵
Hideki Matsuyama’s award from Japan’s Prime Minister was historic.
(Video: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan) pic.twitter.com/69Ku0JSlPZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 1, 2021