Hideki Matsuyama has had a great year, possibly the best of his career so far. While the consensus is this, the Japanese doesn’t agree. Regardless of his Masters win and many other great finishes on the PGA Tour, Matsuyama believes he was not consistent.

He, however, singled out one highlight spanning his career.

In 2019, while Matsuyama was yet to make a mark for himself, he played the inaugural edition of the Zozo Championship. Recorded as one of his finest performances, he thrilled his home crowd and finished as the runner up behind none other than the legend himself: Tiger Woods.

In an interview at the ongoing championships at the same venue, he recalled that tournament and revealed his feelings.

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Hideki Matsuyama learned about course management from Woods

The 29-year-old finished three strokes behind Woods as the runner up in 2019. However, he believes that he learnt a lot from his loss and explained why it means so much to him. He even admitted that he did all in his power to stop Woods from picking up his record title. However, he was no match for the 15-time Major winner.

He said, “Being in contention with Tiger was quite an experience for me, but I tried hard to prevent him from achieving the historical win, especially in the last six holes. I was just not good enough at that time but I learned course management from him.” 

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He also revealed what he thought of his game last season. Despite solidifying his name at the global level, he believes he still has potential. The 19th ranked in the world said, “Honestly, I was not really in contention in the last season… Overall, I was not consistent. Ball-striking, putting, chipping, all of these have not reached the level I want.”

The Zozo Championship 2021 is currently underway at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Japan. With a great history of playing in front of his home crowd, he will undoubtedly be playing to win. Tied-2 after round 1, he is currently playing under-6. This week, he has another chance at creating history.

Do you think he’ll match up to his own expectations and win the title he has so many fond memories of?

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