Augusta, Georgia, United States: For the first time, no fewer than three winners of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) will be in the starting line-up at The Masters Tournament.
Takumi Kanaya (2018) and Keita Nakajima (2021) will join compatriot Hideki Matsuyama (2010, 2011), the defending Masters champion, in the field when the first men’s professional Major of the year tees-off at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday.
Alongside the Japanese trio will be six other players who have participated in the AAC – Australians Cam Smith, Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee and Cameron Davis, and Koreans Kim Si-woo and KH Lee Kyung-hoon.
In the lead-up to the 86th edition of The Masters, much attention has been focused on Matsuyama, who made history 12 months ago when he triumphed at Augusta, becoming the first Asian to win The Masters and the first Japanese to win a men’s Major championship.
“I am looking forward to returning to Augusta National as the defending champion,” said Matsuyama, who first played at Augusta National in 2011 as a 20-year-old college student after winning the 2010 AAC.
“I am also looking forward to the Champions Dinner and being with all those great past Masters winners,” added the eight-time PGA Tour winner, who turned 30 in February.
By his own admission, however, Matsuyama, currently 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, is anxious on a couple of counts.
“I am very nervous about the speech I will be giving (at the Champions Dinner),” said Matsuyama, who rarely speaks in English when in public.
There are also concerns about his fitness and the suffocating pressure he faces from his army of fans in Japan and around Asia.
“I really hope to play well. There are lots of expectations for me, and I will be trying very hard to perform the best I can,” said the Japanese, who withdrew from The Players Championship two weeks ago with a back injury.
Although he said he was feeling better and described himself as ‘80 per cent’ healed, Matsuyama pulled out of last week’s Valero Texas Open after nine holes of the second round.
Having signed for an opening 74, Matsuyama was one-under through nine holes on day two when he withdrew, citing a neck injury.
While serious worries remain about Matsuyama’s fitness, there’s excitement in Japan and around the region at the participation of 23-year-old Kanaya and 21-year-old Nakajima, both of whom are seeking to emulate their elder compatriot by savouring Major championship success.
Kanaya will be making his second Masters appearance, have debuted at Augusta National in 2019 as an amateur, finishing tied for 58th.
Formerly number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Kanaya turned pro in 2020 and earned his 2022 Masters invitation thanks to his top-50 world ranking at the end of 2021.
For his part, Nakajima, the current number one in the WAGR, is making his debut at Augusta National, courtesy of his victory in last year’s AAC in Dubai.
Nakajima secured his first win in a professional tournament on the Japan Golf Tour last year and also finished tied for 28th at the Zozo Championship, his first start on the PGA Tour.
