Matsuyama inspires at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Hideki Matsuyama is focused on Augusta National. His heart is half a world away in Sendai, Japan.

The 19-year-old golfer is a student at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, the city that took the brunt of the March 11 earthquake and the tsunami that followed.

He still can’t reach some friends there; he has no idea what will be left of his school when he returns.

Yet he has somehow managed to put his worry and despair aside at the Masters. He was the only amateur to make the cut and, after a 68 on Saturday, is at 3-under-par for the tournament. The 68 is the lowest by an amateur since James Driscoll’s in the first round in 2001.

“I was very happy to come over here and play the Masters,” Matsuyama said. “I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to encourage the people in Japan by my play. But at least I really wanted to enjoy this experience.”