Hideki Matsuyama

Became Japan’s first male major champion in April with a one-stroke victory at the Masters.

The former world No. 2 had gone nearly four years without a victory and had no top-10 finishes in 2021 before ending those droughts in spectacular style.

Matsuyama was the joint runner-up behind Brooks Koepka at the 2017 U.S. Open and two months later he closed the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone with a 61 to triumph by five.

It was his second WGC title – and his first at the 2016 HSBC Champions in Shanghai came by a seven-stroke margin. He finished that year spectacularly with four victories and a second place in five worldwide events, then added a successful defence of the Waste Management Phoenix Open early in 2017.

As an amateur he topped the world rankings, was a World University Games gold medallist, achieved back-to-back Asian Championships, made the cut at the 2011 and 2012 Masters, and won the first of eight Japan Tour titles.

On turning professional in 2013 he became the first rookie to top their money list, while he was 10th and sixth respectively on his debuts at the U.S. Open and The Open. His impressive placing at Muirfield remains his best Open finish to date. He earned a fourth Presidents Cup cap in 2019.