Congratulations to Hideki Matsuyama for winning the 2021 Masters. I take this week off every year so that I can focus on the entire tournament. It is my favorite and going to Augusta National is on my bucket list, one that I probably will never get to accomplish, but a guy can dream. This year did not provide quite the drama that the 2019 tournament gave us when Tiger won his 5th green jacket, but it did get a bit tense there near the end. Going to the 15th tee Hideki was up four shots over Xander Schauffle, he then proceeded to hit his second shot over the green and into the pond on the 16th hole. He made bogey and Xander made birdie out of the greenside bunker, causing a 2-shot swing that provided a bit of suspense as the lead was now 2 with 3 holes to play. But Xander hit his tee shot on 16 in the same pond that Hideki hit his on the previous hole and he ended up with a triple-bogey 6 while Hideki made bogey, once again up 4 shots. Masters rookie Will Zalatoris made a late push, but it was to no avail, as Matsuyama wins by 1 shot to become the first-ever Japanese Male to win a Major Championship.
This will be huge in Japan, especially after fellow countrywoman Tsubasa Kajitani won the 2001 Augusta National Women’s Amateur the week before. It was a huge week for Japan at Augusta National, and with the Olympics being held in Tokyo later this year, both will most likely play a prominent role in the opening ceremonies, with Hideki possibly lighting the torch with Kajitani by his side.
Although Matsuyama won the green jacket, the most memorable thing I will take away from this year’s tournament will be 24-year-old Will Zalatoris and his remarkable performance down the stretch. His round Friday of 68 launched him into the spotlight and placed him in the final group on Saturday with Justin Rose ending with a round of 70 and placing him in one of the final groups. His shot-making and putting were a thing of beauty for a first-time competitor in Golf’s most prominent Major Tournament and we will see a lot of him moving forward. He stared down the pressure and spotlight, remained calm, and finished second behind Matsuyama.
While this year’s Masters wasn’t filled with the usual tension and suspense as in past years, it was a great tournament and it gave us a great and well-deserved champion.
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