Olympic golf, Hideki Matsuyama's motivation who participated in the significance of existence -Tokyo Olympics [Golf]: Asahi Shimbun Digital

　The Golf Men at the Tokyo Olympics (Olympics) began on the 1st, and the Japanese national team Hideki Matsuyama started.Matsuyama challenges the gold medal from the second place, one stroke, one stroke.

　Golf revived as a formal competition for the first time in 112 years at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.At that time, more than a year before the tournament, Japanese golf groups and media thought that Matsuyama would naturally participate.

　In the meantime, Matsuyama, who usually chose words and commented to the media, rarely talked about his true intentions.

　"I understand that the Olympics are a great tournament, but what about the Olympics for professional golfers? I'm not sure."

　He tweeted to ask the reporters.

　For Matsuyama, who became a professional after pursuing the dream of winning a major tournament, I think it was a natural question.

　In the end, Matsuyama declined the Japanese national team due to the popular "Zika virus infection (Zika fever)", which was popular in Brazil.Instead, Yuta Ikeda, a senior at Tohoku Welfare University, participated.

　How should the golf in the Olympics position be positioned?Not only players but also golf people have no clear answers.

　Golf is mature as professional sports.The four major tournaments, Masters, the United States Open, Open, and the United States Professional Championship, are the best golfers in the world.The winner is broadcast around the world, and the winners will have a status and huge prize money.

　How about the Olympics?The number of participants is about half of the major tournament, 60 people.It is a rule that only four people can appear in the United States, which is the strongest in the United States, so that participating countries are not biased, and some of the 60 players are unfamiliar with major tournaments.Naturally, the overall competition level is lower than the major tournament.It's no wonder that there are golf stakeholders who are wondering where the Olympics are the significance of existence.

　This time, I think that Matsuyama participated in the Olympics is in that it is held in his own country.The big motivation is the existence of the venue Kasumigaseki Canti Club (Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture).

　This is one of the most prestigious courses in Japan, and the Japanese Junior Championship for professionals is held every summer.For Japanese juniors, it is a sacred place.Shigeki Maruyama, Ai Miyazato, Sakura Yokomine, and Ryo Ishikawa's names nested from this tournament.

　Matsuyama himself won the Japanese junior in 2009, who participated in Kochi and Meitoku Gijuku 3 years.The Asian Championship, which was held on the course the following year, won the first championship as a Japanese player and won the first Japanese Masters participation in Japan.

　He said, "If possible, I want you to do it in haze. That desire is stronger than others."

　On the last day, the same group with Matsuyama is the Sander Shaoufele (US), the leading leader.Matsuyama's April Masters competed for the championship until the end.Matsuyama plays with a gold medal with the opponent of the connection on a course of memories.(Kenichiro Hatanaka)