Hideki Matsuyama after winning last year's Masters.
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Eighty-five Masters tournaments. Fifty-four different winners. And last year, a first.
When Hideki Matsuyama put his arms through the green jacket last April, he not only joined an exclusive company, he started one. His victory was the first major victory by a Japanese male golfer, and the significance was not lost on him.
“I hope it will affect golf in Japan in a good way,” he said in his winner’s press conference. “Not only those who are golfers already, but hopefully the youngsters who are playing golf or thinking about playing golf. I hope they will see this victory and think it’s cool and try to follow in my footsteps.
“Up until now, we haven’t had a major champion in Japan, and maybe a lot of golfers or younger golfers, too, thought, well, maybe that’s an impossibility. But with me doing it, hopefully that will set an example for them that it is possible and that, if they set their mind to it, they can do it, too.”
2021 — Hideki Matsuyama 2020 — Dustin Johnson 2019 — Tiger Woods 2018 — Patrick Reed 2017 — Sergio Garcia 2016 — Danny Willett 2015 — Jordan Spieth 2014 — Bubba Watson 2013 — Adam Scott 2012 — Bubba Watson 2011 — Charl Schwartzel 2010 — Phil Mickelson 2009 — Angel Cabrera 2008 — Trevor Immelman 2007 — Zach Johnson 2006 — Phil Mickelson 2005 — Tiger Woods 2004 — Phil Mickelson 2003 — Mike Weir 2002 — Tiger Woods 2001 — Tiger Woods 2000 — Vijay Singh 1999 — Jose Maria Olazabal 1998 — Mark O’Meara 1997 — Tiger Woods 1996 — Nick Faldo 1995 — Ben Crenshaw 1994 — Jose Maria Olazabal 1993 — Bernhard Langer 1992 — Fred Couples 1991 — Ian Woosnam 1990 — Nick Faldo 1989 — Nick Faldo) 1988 — Sandy Lyle 1987 — Larry Mize 1986 — Jack Nicklaus 1985 — Bernhard Langer 1984 — Ben Crenshaw 1983 — Seve Ballesteros 1982 — Craig Stadler 1981 — Tom Watson 1980 — Seve Ballesteros 1979 — Fuzzy Zoeller 1978 — Gary Player 1977 — Tom Watson 1976 — Raymond Floyd 1975 — Jack Nicklaus 1974 — Gary Player 1973 — Tommy Aaron 1972 — Jack Nicklaus 1971 — Charles Coody 1970 — Billy Casper 1969 — George Archer 1968 — Bob Goalby 1967 — Gay Brewer Jr. 1966 — Jack Nicklaus 1965 — Jack Nicklaus 1964 — Arnold Palmer 1963 — Jack Nicklaus 1962 — Arnold Palmer 1961 — Gary Player 1960 — Arnold Palmer 1959 — Art Wall Jr. 1958 — Arnold Palmer 1957 — Doug Ford 1956 — Jack Burke Jr. 1955 — Cary Middlecoff 1954 — Sam Snead 1953 — Ben Hogan 1952 — Sam Snead 1951 — Ben Hogan 1950 — Jimmy Demaret 1949 — Sam Snead 1948 — Claude Harmon 1947 — Jimmy Demaret 1946 — Herman Keiser 1945 — No tournament, WWII 1944 — No tournament, WWII 1943 — No tournament, WWII 1942 — Byron Nelson 1941 — Craig Wood 1940 — Jimmy Demaret 1939 — Ralph Guldahl 1938 — Henry Picard 1937 — Byron Nelson 1936 — Horton Smith 1935 — Gene Sarazen 1934 — Horton Smith
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.