Hideki Matsuyama made history at the 2021 Masters after becoming the first Japanese to win a major golf tournament at Augusta National in Georgia.
Receiving the coveted green coat from 2020 champion Dustin Johnson, Matsuyama gave a few rare words about his private life, namely wife Mei and daughter Kanna.
“I was thinking about it all the time today,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter.
Matsuyama closed the April 2021 tournament with a total of 10 under par, beating US number two Will Zalatoris. He later celebrated on the green with caddy Shota Hayafuji.
“I am very happy that I played well for them,” Matsuyama continued of his family.
In August 2017, Matsuyama shocked the media after revealing that he and his wife Mei had secretly married in January of that year. The couple had also welcomed their daughter in July.
While discussing his surprising revelation, Matsuyama said no one had shown any interest in his personal affairs in the past.
“Nobody really asked me if I was married, so I didn’t have to answer that question. But I felt it would be a good time after the PGA because our baby was born and I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know, ”Matsuyama said at the time, according to Golf.com.
Matsuyama’s PGA Tour profile lists wife Mei and daughter Kanna alongside his total earnings of $ 33.2 million.
Adding further to the mystery of Matsuyama’s wife, the golf star’s caddy at the Hero World Challenge 2016 was a woman named Mei Inui – months before revealing the news of his marriage.
At the time, the athlete praised his caddy for keeping him calm under pressure.
“When the going gets tough, I sometimes bend my head down and go quiet,” Matsuyama said, according to USA Today. “But Mei was always positive, even the last nine, and made me feel good, which really helped to get in.”