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Warriors’ Steph Curry Hails 2021 Masters Champion Hideki Matsuyama for Historic Achievement
The 2021 Masters has concluded and Sunday evening at the Augusta National saw a new and historic champion being crowned. Hideki Matsuyama kept his cool in the final round and reigned supreme at Augusta. Plenty of congratulatory messages followed, and Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry chipped in to wish the Japanese player as well.
As Dustin Johnson awarded Hideki Matsuyama the green jacket, the 29-year-old proudly put it on as the first Japanese player to win a men’s major. This is was a huge victory for both Matsuyama and the golf-crazy country of Japan.
Steph Curry salutes Hideki Matsuyama with a strong message
Naturally, the internet world went crazy with Matsuyama’s one-stroke win at the 2021 Masters. He was the leader at the start of the final round and did not make too many errors en route to clinching the championship. Here’s how he did it:
This marked the dawn of a new era for Japanese players in major championships. The magnitude of this achievement is huge, and NBA superstar Steph Curry posted a congratulatory message for Hideki Matsuyama on Twitter.
1st Men’s Major Champ in your country’s history
. Big ups Hideki https://t.co/ToSxLyzS5e
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) April 12, 2021
“1st Men’s Major Champ in your country’s history. Big ups Hideki,” Steph Curry wrote on his handle. Being a fan of the sport, we’re sure that Curry would’ve enjoyed the final round drama at the 2021 Masters!
While Matsuyama is praised for becoming the first Japanese player to win a men’s major, he is not the first Asian. That honor was won by Y.E. Yang when he clinched the 2009 PGA Championship ahead of Tiger Woods.
Read Also: Meet Bob Turner: The Interpreter of Hideki Matsuyama Who Has Also Worked with Tiger Woods
Matsuyama survived a brief scare on the back nine
Hideki Matsuyama looked really solid in the final round. He recovered well after starting off with a bogey in Round 4 but faced a major scare on the par-5 15th. Matsuyama found the water with his second shot but recovered well in the end.
It looked like it was all crumbling down, but Matsuyama reduced the damage by converting it into a bogey. However, his close competitor Xander Schauffele committed a flurry of errors in the subsequent hole which eased the pressure on Matsuyama.
Schauffele’s mess in the 16th hole handed Matsuyama the victory. The Japanese player just had to make routine putts in order to seal the victory and did that exactly. With a bogey-putt on the 18th, Matsuyama soared to the biggest win of his professional career.
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