Hideki Matsuyama is playing the golf of his life and has already registered five wins in 2016-17 season. He has won 2 official PGA Tour events in the form of the WGC-HSBC Champions and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Matsuyama also won the Hero World Challenge which is an unofficial PGA Tour event hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Y.E. Yang of South Korea is the only Asian male golfer to have ever won a major championship. He achieved that historic feat in 2009 at the PGA Championship where he famously beat Tiger Woods.
Matsuyama is presently ranked 4th in the World according to the Official World Golf Rankings and has even won twice at home; this is the highest Hideki has ever been ranked in the world. Just last month, he succesfully defended his Waste Management Phoenix Open crown that put to bed any doubts over his credibility as a future major champion.
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He definitely has the character and game to be a dominant figure in golf. Let’s take a look at five reasons why we think he will win a major in 2017:
His desire is burning
Hideki Matsuyama being of Asian descent has a poor command of English and finds it tough to convey his ambitions in golf but his grit, strong resolve, focus and complete dedication on the course tells us all that we need to know.
Matsuyama is chasing greatness. Inside him, there is a burning desire to be one of golf’s finest players. During competitions, he enters his own bubble. Where some players prefer to chat to each other during rounds and have a good time, Matsuyama is the opposite.
He stays focused and doesn't let distractions get in the way of reaching his targets. Matsuyama channels his inner hunger and drive towards shooting the best score possible everytime he takes to the golf course. Hideki is happy to sacrifice on-course chatter and fun for more wins, it's a trade-off he seems to be more than willing to make.
“He takes it very seriously,” Adam Scott observed about Matsuyama.
“He has big dreams. I like that about him.”
His swing is technically sound
The pause at the top of his swing is something that Matsuyama truly owns and hits the ball in a manner that is unique and is comfortable for him.
The breakdown of the swing in two parts helps him not let the club go too far back while it also keeps his rhythm in check. It leads to a very repeatable swing which he consistently produces to great effect.
Like we pointed out above, when he is under the gun, his swing is his biggest ally. So you might ask does he have the firepower to compete with the elite given the pause in his swing? The answer is YES. In 2017, his average driving distance is 305 yards, which is the 18th best on the PGA Tour.
His form is scary good
This season, Matsuyama has won five times, finished second twice and fifth once.
The victories haven't come at any small scale tournaments, he has gone head to head with the world's best to accomplish these wins. At the Hero World Challenge, he fended off Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson to win. At the WGC HSBC Champions, he overcame challenges from Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler to win.
His most recent win and probably the biggest indicator yet that he is now firmly a part of the world’s elite golfers came when he beat Webb Simpson in a playoff after thwarting challenges in regulation play from Louis Oosthuizen and Rickie Fowler, who lost to Matsuyama in the 2016 edition in a playoff.
It goes to show how Matsuyama’s game has grown leaps and bounds since he turned professional in 2013 and he is now on just the most incredible run. What is most scary though is that one cannot help but feel there is more to come.
The temperament is excellent
Hideki's victory at the Phoenix Open proved that he certainly has what it takes to win under pressure. The win was all the more special as he did a repeat performance of one of his biggest title triumphs with the pressure of being defending champion looming large. He beat Webb Simpson in a play-off in one of golf’s loudest and most intimidating environments.
Winning a major championship is not every great golfer's cup of tea. Look at the example of Sergio Garcia who is arguably gifted with the most talented swing technique. Then there are the likes of Henrik Stenson, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson who have only recently gotten over the line after a series of close calls.
It is a very demanding ask to keep your composure when trying to close-out on a major championship Sunday. Hideki definitely ticks that box as he seems to have a good check on his emotions coming down the stretch and is able to produce the goods when it matters the most.
On the basis of recent evidence, Matsuyama has both the talent of Garcia and the temperament of someone like Fred Couples. It’s a wonderful combination of characteristics.
“The way he stalks his shots and putts, his demeanour going into each shot, there’s supreme focus there,” Jordan Spieth once said of Matsuyama.“A lot of times you see guys get lazy stepping into shots. You don’t see that from him.”
Matsuyama is his own swing guru
It is uncommon to hear of a professional golfer doing well on tour without having a swing coach. Matsuyama is from that breed and is all on his own.
While the majority might argue that it is always beneficial to have another set of eyes to keep the swing dynamics in check, Matsuyama takes full responsibility and accountability for his game and performances.
He doesn't give himself the luxury or opportunity of blaming a swing coach for teaching him in a manner not suited to him or not having him prepared suitably entering into a big event.
This is obviously working for Hideki and this unique situation means that he knows his swing and approach inside out. If things start going south, which happens to the best of the best, he can take a step back and correct what might be going wrong on the golf course.
He doesn't have to rely on going back to a swing coach post his round to fix the issue which means that he can potentially salvage his round and sleep comfortably at night without worrying about his swing for his round the following day.
