Hideki Matsuyama

Hideki Matsuyama became Japan’s first male major champion when he produced a one-stroke victory over Will Zalatoris at the Masters in 2021. 

The former world number two had gone nearly four years without a victory and had no top-10 finishes in 2021 before ending those droughts in spectacular style. He could not play at Royal St George's three months later, however, after contracting Covid.

Matsuyama was joint runner-up behind Brooks Koepka at the US Open in 2017 and two months later he closed the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone with a 61 to triumph by five.

It was his second WGC title – his first at the 2016 HSBC Champions in Shanghai came by a seven-stroke margin. He finished that year spectacularly with four victories and a second-place in five worldwide events and now has 11 PGA Tour titles, most recently at the Sentry, in January 2025.

He topped the world rankings as an amateur, was a World University Games gold medallist, achieved back-to-back Asian Championships, made the cut at the 2011 and 2012 Masters, and won the first of eight Japan Tour titles.

On turning professional in 2013, Matsuyama became the first rookie to top their money list, while he was 10th and sixth respectively on his debuts at the US Open and The Open. Has played in the last six Presidents Cup matches.