Hideki Matsuyama masters Japan’s golfing nerves to lift pre-Olympic spirits

TV commentators ‘could hardly speak’ as 29-year-old becomes first Japanese man to win a major

Hideki Matsuyama has recorded one of Japan’s greatest international sporting successes after winning the US Masters golf , months before Tokyo is scheduled to host the summer Olympics.

His compatriots were preparing for work, perhaps pausing to catch glimpses of the last few holes on TV, when the 29-year-old secured a one-shot victory over the American Will Zalatoris at Augusta National in Georgia.

Related: Hideki Matsuyama holds nerve to become Masters champion

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