Hideki Matsuyama hopes that his WGC-HSBC Champions victory in Shanghai will be the catalyst for Major championship success in the near future.
Matsuyama blitzed his way through four days at Sheshan International GC, totalling 23-under par for a comfortable seven-shot winning margin over a high-class field.
In doing so, he became just the second Japanese winner on the European Tour and the first since Isao Aoki 33 years ago while he is also the first player from his country to win an individual World Golf Championships event.
Matsuyama admitted to nerves as he carried a three-stroke lead into the final round but those nerves were eased somewhat when he rolled in a birdie putt on the first hole.
Five more gains would follow in his round, including three on the spin from the 13th, as Matsuyama shot a flawless closing 66.
That left him well clear of Open champion Henrik Stenson and Daniel Berger in second place on 16-under par. Rory McIlroy (-15), Rickie Fowler (-14), Sergio Garcia and defending champion Russell Knox (both -12) were also in the top ten but there was no doubting Matsuyama’s brilliance this week.
It continued a remarkable run of recent form following his win at the Japan Open and a second-placed finish at the CIMB Classic in the previous two weeks.
Matsuyama is now hoping he can move on to challenge for the game’s biggest honours and he could be as high as sixth in the official world golf rankings when they are released on Monday.
“Winning today, I feel has got me closer to being able to compete a lot better in the Major tournaments,” Matsuyama said.
“My next goal is, of course, to win a Major and I’m going to do all that I can to prepare well for that. “I was really nervous at the start of the day but I was able to birdie hole number one.
I kind of got myself into the rhythm of the day and after that, it was smooth sailing.” Matsuyama is 29.00 to win the Masters at Augusta in April. Stenson is 26.00 while McIlroy can be backed at 9.00 to don the Green Jacket.
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