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Hideki Matsuyama’s celebration after his historic Masters win last month was perhaps unlike anyone else who has earned the iconic green jacket.
Matsuyama went home and read. He read “by far” the most about himself than he’s ever done before in his life.
“I was able to probably read every news article and newspaper and magazine and TV,” Matsuyama said Tuesday, via Golf.com. “And seeing how the Masters win was portrayed in Japan was great, really unforgettable.”
Now, that wasn’t necessarily what the six-time Tour winner wanted to do most.
“[It was] a bit embarrassing,” he said, via Golf.com. “I’m not used to all that attention, but grateful that people took notice.”
But Matsuyama, who became the first Japanese man to ever win a major championship with his win at Augusta National, didn’t have much else he could do. After returning to Japan, he was forced to quarantine by himself for two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Waiting for that to end, Matsuyama said he didn’t watch his final round over again, but he did catch the highlights.
“I got nervous again, just like I was playing,” he said, via ESPN. “It was at some points difficult to watch because I was so nervous and all those nervous memories were brought back.”
Warming back up for PGA Championship
While he was back in Japan, the 29-year-old didn’t get to golf much at all.
And, that makes sense. He was busy celebrating with his family and even with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
So when he tees off at the AT&T Byron Nelson this week outside of Dallas, Matsuyama doesn’t have super high expectations. His main focus, he said, is just to get back into the groove of things before the PGA Championship next week in South Carolina.
“After you win a tournament and you make some adjustments and you go on, but this time going back to Japan and really not picking up a club much over there, I didn’t get to practice very much at all,” he said, via ESPN. “And then coming back here, really one of my goals now is just to try and find my game again and prepare for the PGA Championship next week.”
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