Hideki Matsuyama, right, takes a selfie with his fellow medalists on the podium in the men’s golf event on Sunday at the Paris Olympics.
16:27 JST, August 5, 2024
PARIS — With perseverance and determination, Hideki Matsuyama ensured that he would leave Paris with the medal he missed out on in Tokyo three years ago and with a new place in Japanese golf history.
Hideki Matsuyama smiles as he holds up his bronze medal in men’s golf at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
The 32-year-old Matsuyama became the first Japanese to win an Olympic medal in men’s golf when he took bronze with a solid iron performance in a thrilling final round, a reward for one of the hardest-working players on the pro tour.
His performance, which saw him record a 17-under-par score at Le Golf National, two strokes behind champion Scottie Scheffler and one stroke behind Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood, made up for the disappointment he suffered at the Tokyo Olympics, where he finished fourth in a bronze medal play-off.
“It has a completely different value than a major,” Matsuyama said as he held up the bronze around his neck and felt its weight.
Taisho Okabe, a former caddie for Matsuyama and his teammate at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, said Matsuyama had long been known as a player who developed a strict work ethic in an effort to perfect his game. “He was a practice maniac,” Okabe said.
Every morning, the two would drive to the driving range in Okabe’s car and hit balls until sunset. “He never stopped until he was satisfied with what he had done,” Okabe said. “I would think, ‘Come on now,’ and just want to go home.”
On the U.S. PGA Tour, Matsuyama often stays after his round to practice until it gets dark. For the 2021 Masters champion, “practice is not effort.” His attitude has always been to practice until he reaches a point where he feels confident.
Before the Tokyo Olympics he had declared: “I’m aiming for the gold medal”, but lost in the play-offs. Paris was the place where he would make up for that failure.
In a nail-biting final day match, his consistent strokes kept him within striking distance of the leader. He had to wait until the final group had finished before he was assured that the bronze medal was his, which he celebrated by cheerfully embracing Japanese team director and former star Shigeki Maruyama.
Akio Takahashi, who coached Matsuyama at Meitoku Gijuku Junior and Senior High School in Susaki, Kochi Prefecture, watched the match on television and said he was impressed by Matsuyama’s calmness under pressure.
“Unlike in regular tournaments, he seemed to play with a sense of joy because he was representing his country,” said the 74-year-old mentor.
What still lingers, however, is the fact that he still hasn’t achieved gold. “It was disappointing when I looked at [Scheffler] “next to me on the podium,” Matsuyama said. “I definitely want to be at the next Olympics in Los Angeles.”
