Yesterday was Hideki Matsuyama's 30th birthday, and the stars of the golf industry sent him heartfelt wishes and praised him.
From Tiger to Morriser, from Anser to JT, many of the top players have spent their precious time expressing their best wishes to Hideki Matsuyama, who recently won his eighth PGA Tour title, on a par with South Korean player Choi Kyung-joo, becoming the player with the most titles among Asian players.
(Happy birthday to Hideki Matsuyama)
JT, the 2017 FedEx Cup overall winner, said in the video: "Hideki Matsuyama, happy birthday, my friend. Hope you have a pleasant 30 year old. I enjoyed all my time playing and playing against you and look forward to more opportunities in the days to come. ”
(JT and Hideki Matsuyama)
Mexico's Anser, who represented the international team with Hideki Matsuyama at the 2019 Presidents Cup, praised the Japanese star's achievements. In the first two rounds of last year's Masters, they played in the same group, and Matsuyama scored a historic victory, becoming the second Asian male player to win a Grand Slam.
"He's 30 years old? I thought he was much older than that. Damn, I'm older than Hideki Matsuyama," Anser, a year older than him, joked.
"When he won the first two rounds of the Masters, I played with him, so that was really cool. He doesn't talk much, but whenever he says something, it's actually very interesting, and his caddie Shota is also an absolute legend. I love playing golf with Hideki Matsuyama. Nice people. During the Presidents Cup, I learned more about him. ”
(Asia's best brother)
Eight-time PGA Tour champion Stuart Zink paid tribute to Matsuyama, "I've played with Hideki Matsuyama a lot, I really enjoy watching him, it's fun to play with him, he's very, very talented and impressive," the veteran said.
"Probably my favorite moment was when he won the World Championships - St. Jude Invitational, and he probably put on the best batting performance I've ever seen. He won by a big margin, played incredibly lows, and it was one of the best golf shows I've ever seen, and that included some of the Tigers' path to victory. Matsuyama has always been a world-class player, and as the main focus of Japan in the men's golf tournament, the burden on his shoulders is heavy. ”
Max Homa also admired Matsuyama's approach to dealing with a country that was very enthusiastic about golf. "I don't think people understand how much he's been through, it should be only Tiger who has experienced that feeling. Because in Japan, every household basically has its own golf channel," Homer said.
(Hideki Matsuyama won his second crown of the season at the recent Sony Open.)
"In the 2019 ZOZO Championship, Tiger won the championship, Matsuyama finished runner-up, and the fans cheered for Tiger while also going crazy for Matsuyama, so he had a lot of pressure and he handled that gracefully. He's a real star, he's a great golfer. ”
World Number One Amateur Keita Nakajima is one of thousands of young Japanese golfers inspired by Matsuyama's heroic deeds on the PGA Tour. "Happy 30th birthday, Hideki Matsuyama. At the Sony Open, I saw you play live for the first time and I will keep working so that I have hope to play with you one day. I wish you all the best. ”
(Hideki Matsuyama and Tiger in the Presidents Cup match)
Hideki Matsuyama currently leads the FedEx Cup standings. Matsuyama spoke in Japanese, but Tiger said he knew enough English to allow them to enjoy their time on the field.
"I know he's not very good at English, he has a translator, but believe me, he said enough, he's a very interesting guy and we've had a lot of fun together over the years," Tiger said.