“NOT MANY WORK HARDER ON THEIR GAMES THAN HIDEKI ... AND HE DOES IT MOSTLY BY HIMSELF”

This year’s Masters was a big deal in a couple of important ways. First of all, it was nice to see the year’s first (male) major back to being just that. And it was certainly a good thing for golf in general when Hideki Matsuyama, a player I have long admired, became the first Japanese winner of the green jacket.

I’ve been around Hideki a couple of times at Presidents Cups, occasions that have given me some insight into the psyche of not just him but every Japanese player. Their culture is just so different from the rest of us. They seem to carry such a feeling of responsibility, one that is really obvious in Hideki