Skip to navigation Skip to main content

Can Matsuyama Be Japan's First Major Winner? PGA Championship Preview

According to the current World Golf Rankings, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama is the third ranked player in the world, and after his emphatic victory yesterday at Firestone, he is now No.1 in the FEDEX Cup standings too. To date, the Japanese suerstar has chalked up 13 wins with 5 of them on the PGA tour, and three of those in 2017. Add to this 6 top ten finishes on tour this year, two of them at majors, including a runner up at the US Open (Matsuyama had the day's lowest round, a six-under-par 66, to finish four shots adrift of winner Brooks Koepka) and you can see both his pedigree and consistancy.

The under-hyped Matsuyama is often forgotten about by the international media, which seems to suit the quiet Ehime native, who has yet to conduct an interview in English, preferring to let his golf do the talking, and it certainly did this week.

But the question remains; can Matsuyama be Japan's first major winner?

Major Ambition

The answer is simple: Yes, he can.

The last major of the year; The PGA Championship will be contested this week. Matsuyama will be, despite his win yesterday- an underdog, with pundits still underwriting the on-form Jordan Spieth, eyeing a career grand slam at just 24 years of age.

Spieth on Matsuyama:

 "I think Hideki will be a major champion within the next couple of years, personally," Jordan Spieth said. "It's awesome to see him tearing it up here."

Matsuyama on winning a major and the pressure from home fans:

“Winning a major is on my list of goals. I feel good and inspired by the support I get from Japan rather than feeling additional pressure. I want to make the Japanese golf fans proud. I already feel enormous pride to have reached No2 in the world rankings and be the first Japanese player to reach this.”

Japan and the world will be watching and wishing their countryman to capture his - and the country's first major. 

The PGA Championship starts Thursday at Quail Hollow.

Share

More on Air

What happens if your ball strikes another players ball? Golfing Rules, Seriously!

On the course this past weekend, I putt from just off the green and my ball struck my playing partners ball, knocking it closer to the hole.

After a quick giggle, we began to discuss the ruling, 'I'll play from there and its a one-shot penalty for you' my friend said. 'I was off the green' I said, 'Doesn't matter' he said. Right, I said. 'Hang on, and I'll consult the rule book'.

Luckily, I had The R&A's Rules of Golf on my phone (Well worth a download and it's FREE)

Without quoting the book verbatim, there are basically three scenarios which you should be mindful of:

On the Fairway (updated June 14th, 2023) If your ball strikes a fellow player's ball on the fairway by accident, The 9.6 rule comes into affect, meaning If my ball...

What happens if I ground my club in a bunker? The new rules of golf explained

In 2020, the US Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) made several changes to the rules of golf.

One major change was to the "drop procedure" when a ball is lost or out of bounds. Players are now allowed to drop the ball from shoulder height, rather than knee height, making the process more consistent and less prone to mistakes. Another change was to the rule regarding penalty strokes. Players will no longer be penalized for accidentally moving a ball on the green, such as when marking or lifting it.

Additionally, players are now allowed to repair almost any damage to the course, such as spike marks on the green. The changes also include simplifying the rules for bunkers, allowing players to touch or move loose impediments...