Hideki Matsuyama didn’t exactly run away with The Masters. But in the end, he took it by one shot over Will Zalatoris and became the first Japanese male golfer to win a major PGA championship.
Throughout the entire day, however, there were a few moments were a Matsuyama win was in doubt. The first came early on in the day after Matsuyama bogeyed the opening hole and others were making birdies in front of him. Hideki quickly righted the ship after that, finishing with consecutive birdies on the front nine to take a big lead to the back half of the course.
Throughout the day, CBS offered some highlights from Japanese coverage, via the Tokyo Broadcasting System and broadcasters Tommy Nakajima and Wataru Ogasawara.
The first was this look at Matsuyama’s approach on the ninth:
A positive take: CBS providing the Japanese call for a clutch Hideki Matsuyama approach is fantastic. pic.twitter.com/5D3FXGzHHV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 11, 2021
Later, after Matsuyama bogeyed the 12th, he looked shaky off the tee on the par-5 13th, needing a very fortuitous tree bounce to avoid major issues. Then, having hooked his approach near the flowers, Matsuyama recovered with an absurd shot. Afterward, CBS went back for the Japanese call again:
Things looked to be pretty much wrapped up at that point, but at the 15th, Matsuyama went for the par-5 in two shots and ended up in the water behind the green. This, combined with playing partner Xander Schauffele making four birdies in a row, was the only time things felt truly in doubt on the back nine.
Again, the Japanese call, with the broadcasters as shocked as everyone else:
The Japanese broadcast understandably alarmed by this turn of events: pic.twitter.com/mb5ePfqgUN
— Jay Rigdon (@jayrigdon5) April 11, 2021
On the next tee, though, Schauffele’s tee shot ended up in a gust of wind and knocked down short of the green, into the water. Matsuyama found the surface and, from there, played conservatively to maintain his lead. He ending up with a tap-in bogey on 18 to win The Masters by one shot.
Here’s how his winning moment looked and sounded in Japan:
As called on Japanese TV: pic.twitter.com/03c4Chvc9q
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) April 11, 2021
The sound effects really make that. Honestly, the Japanese presentation feels a lot more lively than the more staid CBS version.
And for the record, here’s the CBS version:
Hideki Matsuyama – 2021 Masters champion. #themasters
松山英樹-2021年マスターズチャンピオン pic.twitter.com/P3JDVW5RMt
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2021
Congratulations to Hideki, and to Japan. It’s hard to understate how big of a deal this is for that country, and for golf as a whole.