Who became the first Japanese man to win a golf major at the 2021 Masters?

The first Japanese man to win a golf major at the 2021 Masters was Hideki Matsuyama.

Matsuyama won the 85th Masters Tournament at Augusta National from April 8–11, 2021. He finished at 10 under par with a score of 278, one stroke ahead of Will Zalatoris, becoming the first Japanese male golfer to win a major championship.

His victory also made him the first Asian-born golfer to win the Masters. Matsuyama entered the final round with a four-shot lead and survived a tense closing stretch, including a bogey at the 18th hole, to secure the green jacket.

The achievement followed years of strong performances by Matsuyama, who had won the Asian Amateur Championship twice and reached No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Shigeki Maruyama, Ryo Ishikawa, and Isao Aoki were prominent Japanese golfers, but none had won a men’s major.