A Major title is obvious next step for Hideki Matsuyama, the brightest Asian prospect in the men’s game
The golfing world has been talking about Hideki Matsuyama for a few years now and this week in Shanghai he took another big step towards fulfilling the promise he has displayed since he was a teenager.
Matsuyama claimed the most significant victory yet of his career at the HSBC-Champions on Sunday, pulling clear of a chasing pack that included Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy to win by seven shots.
It made the 24-year-old the first Asian winner of a WGC event since the series started in 1999 and, while being in familiar surroundings might have helped, it is never easy to beat a stellar field like that.
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There has been a flood of Asian talent emerging in the men’s game as it already has in the women’s, with Matsuyama and fellow Japanese prodigy Ryo Ishikawa among those to have shone.
But Matsuyama, who was the lowest scoring amateur at the Masters as a 19-year-old, looks to me to be the best prospect from the continent.
He seems to be the real deal: there have been too many top players praising him and the quality of his swing to think otherwise.
Why the Masters is Matsuyama's best shot
He is now up to a career-high sixth in the world rankings, with every player above him a Major winner, and landing one of those four top events – or perhaps a FedEx Cup – is the obvious next rung on the ladder.
The former world amateur No1 has recorded top 10 finishes at all Majors, including a tie for fourth at this year’s US PGA Championship, but has a particular affinity with the Masters.
A 19-year-old Matsuyama was lowest amateur at the Masters in 2011 (Source: Getty)
He has been tied for seventh and fifth in his last two visits to Augusta. It is suited to a good ball-striker like Matsuyama, and the depth of the field naturally increases the chances of success.
With a strong end to the year assured and experience of winning around the world now behind him, Matsuyama will be looking at the 2017 Masters as the next target in his exciting progression.
In-form Stenson has edge over Willett in Race To Dubai
Stenson’s second place and McIlroy’s tie for fourth showed how much they both want to win the Race To Dubai, which is always a wonderful feather in your cap.
Rory’s hopes of a fourth European order of merit crown look to be disappearing, though.
He is not playing this week’s Turkish Airlines Open or next week’s Nedbank Challenge, meaning new leader Stenson could be out of sight by the Dubai finale.
Stenson leads Willett and McIlroy in the Race To Dubai after his second place in Shanghai (Source: Getty)
The Swede’s performance in China lifted him above Danny Willett and put him 1m points ahead of McIlroy.
Stenson is also sitting out Turkey but will fancy his chances at Sun City, where he is a previous winner.
It seems a straight two-horse race between Stenson and Willett.
The Englishman is 260,000 points behind Stenson and has the advantage of playing all three remaining events.
The Swede is in form, however, and it’s hard to see the Englishman recovering enough from his recent dip.
Rookie Gribble enjoys incredible win
Lastly, I enjoyed watching rookie Cody Gribble win a maiden PGA Tour title in only his second event as a member, at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi on Sunday.
Cody Gribble can't remember the last time he won an individual tournament.
He'll remember this one. https://t.co/y8FcT8TlUt pic.twitter.com/fxOhAOYXIW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 31, 2016
England’s Greg Owen played well and only narrowly missed finishing second outright when his putt at the last lipped out, but the day belonged to Gribble.
The 26-year-old, who played college golf alongside Jordan Spieth and was tied for eighth on his last outing, now has his card for the next two years. An incredible result.