Considering the season Hideki Matsuyama enjoyed in 2013 he probably isn’t a golfer to watch in terms of ‘breakout’ candidate on Tour. He is, however, absolutely a prime YOTTO candidate–and that’s way more prestigious anyway. Somehow this guy has managed to fly under the same radar that pegged Ryo Ishikawa for superstardom (Ryo (from Sergio), incidentally, is YOTTOing nicely this year). Due to this ability to remain undetected while still delivering large payloads, we’ve dubbed Matsuyama “The Drone.” We’re unclear how exactly Finchy came across this technology, though we suspect well-placed agents across Japan helped to acquire it. Did Finchy have to pay a posting fee to get him to play a full schedule on the PGA Tour this year?
To quickly recap, Matsuyama’s worst Tour finish last year (sans the inexplicable MC at the Sony) was a T21 at the WGC- Bridgestone Invitational. He collected top-10’s at both Opens, and though technically not a part of the 2013 season, racked a 3rd-place finish during the reach-around at the Frys.com. Oh yeah, he also led the Japan Tour’s money list, won 5 times, and earned a spot on the President’s Cup squad.
I had the distinct privilege to watch Matsuyama in person last Fall at the President’s Cup–the guy carries himself with quiet confidence that is hard to describe. He absolutely oozes steadfast assuredness in his game, without any of the side antics or hints of immaturity that belie some other young stars (namely Jordan Spieth, though we LOVE the guy, and his intensity).
If by some slim chance you’ve haven’t had a chance to see Matsuyama play much yet, we recommend spending a few minutes and just watching this guy swing. The tempo is positively metronomic–Big Easy 2.0. Let’s just pray he never watches Tommy Gainey swing a club.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIb-ART3onY