Hideki Matsuyama Facts: 20 Things You Didn't Know About The Japanese Golfer

Here are 20 things you didn't already know about Japanese professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama's life and career to date

Hideki Matsuyama
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Hideki Matsuyama is arguably the greatest Asian male golfer ever to grace the game, but he is a quiet and polite character who many people still don't know too much about. Here are 20 things you might not know about him.

Hideki Matsuyama Facts

1. Coincidentally, Hideki was born in a place called Matsuyama, which is in Ehime, Japan. His birthday is February 25, 1992.

2. He learned to play golf from the age of four because of his father, Mikio, who was a former club champion.

3. During eighth grade (year nine), Matsuyama changed schools in search of a better golf environment.

4. Matsuyama studied at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan after receiving funding towards his education via a golf scholarship from the R&A. While Matsuyama was at university, the city was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. He was over in Australia training at the time, but returned to find his dorm room destroyed and struggled to find food for a while. A matter of weeks later, he made his debut at The Masters.

hideki matsuyama

Hideki Matsuyama after winning the 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

(Image credit: Getty Images)

5. Matsuyama became the first Japanese amateur to qualify for The Masters with victory at the 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which took place at the 2020 Olympic Games host course, Kasumigaseki Country Club.

6. He won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship again in 2011, becoming the only player to date to win it twice in a row.

7. At the 2011 Masters tournament, Matsuyama won the Silver Cup which is presented to the leading amateur who makes the cut at Augusta National.

8. Matsuyama became the world's number one male amateur in June 2012. He held the ranking for one week.

Japanese amateur Hideki Matsuyama smiles during a press conference ahead of the 2012 Masters

Hideki Matsuyama smiles during a press conference ahead of the 2012 Masters

(Image credit: Getty Images)

9. Matsuyama turned pro in 2013 - just a couple of months after turning 20 years old - and dominated on the Japan Golf Tour, winning the money list.

10. His favourite player growing up was Tiger Woods and he distinctly remembers watching Tiger win the 1997 Masters tournament.

11. In his spare time, Matsuyama likes to fish, watch baseball and play table-tennis.

12. He has 11 PGA Tour wins, two of which came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and two of which were WGCs. His first arrived at the 2014 Memorial Tournament after a play-off victory over Kevin Na. The biggest was his win at the 2021 Masters.

hideki matsuyama

(Image credit: Getty Images)

13. On his way to a ninth PGA Tour victory, Matsuyama came from six strokes back before the final round began to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. He shot the second lowest round ever at Riviera Country Club (62).

14. His highest world ranking is second, and that arrived in the summer of 2017.

15. He is a six-time Presidents Cup competitor - 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024.

16. Matsuyama's career earnings on the PGA Tour have surpassed $59 million.

Hideki Matsuyama with the Genesis Invitational trophy

Hideki Matsuyama with the Genesis Invitational trophy

(Image credit: Getty Images)

17. Matsuyama's wife is called Mei and the pair have a daughter called Kanna who was born in July 2017.

18. He received the Prime Minister's Award in Japan following his 2021 Masters win. He was the first player from Japan to win the Masters Tournament.

19. Matsuyama wears a yellow shirt on Sunday for a very simple reason - it is his favorite color. He often wears navy blue pants with it, and has been very successful in doing so.

20. On his way to winning an 11th PGA Tour title at the 2025 Sentry, Matsuyama set the PGA Tour's 72-hole scoring record on 35-under.

Hideki Matsuyama Bio

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BornFebruary 25, 1992 - Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
Height5ft11in (1.80m)
CollegeTohoku Fukushi University
Turned professional2013
Former TourJapan Golf Tour
Current TourPGA Tour
Total Pro Wins20 (1 Major)
Highest OWGR2

Hideki Matsuyama Wins

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TourEventWinning Score
Japan Golf Tour2011 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters*-13 (two strokes)
Japan Golf Tour2013 Tsuruya Open-18 (one stroke)
Japan Golf Tour2013 Diamond Cup Golf-9 (two strokes)
Japan Golf Tour2013 Fujisankei Classic-9 (playoff)
Japan Golf Tour2013 Casio World Open-12 (one stroke)
PGA Tour2014 Memorial Tournament-13 (playoff)
Japan Golf Tour2014 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament-15 (playoff)
PGA Tour2016 WM Phoenix Open-14 (playoff)
Japan Golf Tour2016 Japan Open Golf Championship-5 (three strokes)
PGA Tour/DP World Tour2016 WGC-HSBC Champions-23 (seven strokes)
Japan Golf Tour2016 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters-23 (seven strokes)
Other2016 Hero World Challenge-18 (two strokes)
PGA Tour2017 WM Phoenix Open-17 (playoff)
PGA Tour2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational-16 (five strokes)
Major2021 Masters-10 (one stroke)
PGA Tour/Japan Golf Tour2021 Zozo Championship-15 (five strokes)
PGA Tour2022 Sony Open-23 (playoff)
PGA Tour2024 Genesis Invitational-17 (three strokes)
FedEx Cup Playoffs2024 FedEx St Jude Championship-17 (two strokes)
PGA Tour2025 The Sentry-35 (three strokes)

*won as an amateur

Jonny Leighfield
Staff Writer

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.

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