Famous golfers from Japan

Golf

Famous golfers from Japan

Hideki Matsuyama is the first Japanese golfer to win a major championship, but he's not the first to see success on the world stage.

With his win in the 85th Masters Tournament, Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese player to win a major golf championship. The onetime No. 2 in the world now has a handful of worldwide wins, eight career major top-10s and four Presidents Cup appearances.

Shingo Katayama is famously known as "Cowboy Shingo" for his distinctive hats on the course. He finished fourth at the 2009 Masters - the previous best Augusta finish by a Japanese player.

Isao Aoki is the first Japanese player to win on the PGA Tour - the 1983 Hawaiian Open. He famously went toe-to-toe with Jack Nicklaus at the 1980 U.S. Open, finishing second by two strokes. Aoki logged five top-10s in majors in his career and 17 senior major top-10s. He played 14 times at Augusta, with four top-25 finishes.

Masashi Ozaki was often known as Jumbo for his length off the tee. Ozaki competed in Augusta 19 times, with an eighth-place tie in 1973 as his best finish. He is the Japan Golf Tour all-time wins leader with 94. He reached No. 5 in the World Rankings and had three top-10 major finishes, including T-6 in the 1989 U.S. Open.

Joe Ozaki is "Jumbo's" younger brother. Ozaki made more than 180 starts on the PGA Tour with his best finish a second-place tie at the 1997 Buick Open. In four Masters, his best finish was 33rd in 1990.

Shigeki Maruyama won three times on the PGA Tour and has 12 other worldwide wins. Maruyama has three career top-10s at majors, his best a fourth-place tie at the 2004 U.S. Open. His best finish at Augusta was 14th in 2002.

Toshi Izawa tied for fourth in his first Masters appearance in 2001 - his only top-10 finish in a major championship.

Ryo Ishikawa won a Japan Golf Tour tournament at the age of 15 and in 2008 became the youngest player to appear in the top 100 rankings. He crashed the U.S. scene in 2010 as a 19-year-old leading the U.S. Open after two rounds. He has 18 professional wins. Ishikawa's best finish at Augusta was tied for 20th in 2011.

Tommy Nakajima Tommy Nakajima had six career top-10s in majors, his best effort a third-place finish at the 1988 PGA. He is, however, most remembered for his epic blowups. After hitting his fourth shot into Rae's Creek, Nakajima scored a 13 on the par-5 13th hole at the 1978 Masters. He had two top-10 finished at Augusta in 1986 (8th) and 1991 (10th).

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With his win in the 85th Masters Tournament, Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese player to win a major golf championship. The onetime No. 2 in the world now has a handful of worldwide wins, eight career major top-10s and four Presidents Cup appearances.

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