Matsuyama is honored in her hometown

The honoring and awarding ceremony for Matsuyama took place on April 30. 19 days earlier, golfer born in 1992 won an exclusive major of Augusta National at point -10. With this victory, Matsuyama became the first major champion from Japan.

“During the SARS-CoV2 crisis, he motivated and touched the hearts of the people,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga emphasized the spiritual value of Matsuyama’s merit.

At the award ceremony, the head of the Japanese government also shared more about the origins of “Matsuyama inspiration” 10 years ago. That was when he received the “Excellent amateur competition” award at Masters 2011 in the context of his homeland being devastated by earthquakes and tsunamis, killing 18,000 people. He almost dropped his spot when he witnessed the ruin after the disaster, including the school he was attending – Tohoku Fukushi University.

Matsuyama is the 34th individual to receive the award from the Prime Minister of Japan but is not the only golfer to receive this award. Before him was Ayako Okamoto in 1987 with a record of four times winning the LPGA Tour and finishing top 5 in all major of the year.

Matsuyama is currently the number one candidate in the honor to light the Olympic torch when Japan hosts the event, scheduled for this summer. But his “ultimate goal” is to bring the golf gold medal to his home country. This event was held at Kasumigaseki Country Club – where Matsuyama won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. That trophy earned him his first Masters and then holding the “Outstanding Amateur” finalist.

“The award from the Prime Minister is the motivation for me to strive more. Thank you for your support. And now, I will work hard to win the Tokyo Olympic Gold Medal,” Matsuyama stated yesterday.

Matsuyama entered professional golf since 2013, and now owns six PGA Tour championships, including the major Masters.

Quoc Huy synthetic