Hideki Matsuyama

QUICK FACTS

Full Name: Hideki Matsuyama
Born: February 25, 1992 (age 34)
Birthplace: Ehime (Matsuyama), Japan
Height: 5’11”
Nationality: Japanese
College: Tohoku Fukushi University
Turned Pro: April 2013
Current World Ranking: #26 (OWGR) / #16 (DataGolf)
Career-High World Ranking: #2 (2017, after a U.S. Open runner-up finish)

FAMILY

Wife: Mei Matsuyama, married in January 2017, but Matsuyama kept the marriage entirely private for months, only revealing it after the birth of their first daughter, explaining simply, No one really asked me if I was married, so I didn’t have to answer that question.

Mei has maintained an unusually low public profile for the wife of a major champion; there’s little public information about her even years later.

Daughter: Kanna, born in 2017, whose birth is what prompted Matsuyama to go public about his marriage in the first place.

A memorable mix-up: In 2025, a professional caddie named Mei Inui filled in on Matsuyama’s bag at the Rocket Classic while his regular caddie was in Japan renewing his visa, and because she shares a first name with his wife, it briefly went viral with broadcasters and reporters mistakenly reporting his wife was caddying for him.

PGA Tour communications had to correct the record publicly.

TEAM MATSUYAMA

Caddie: Shota Hayafuji has been on the bag since 2019 and is one of golf’s most beloved figures. He became globally famous for bowing respectfully to the Augusta National course after Matsuyama’s historic 2021 Masters win, a gesture that introduced Matsuyama to casual golf fans more than a decade of top-10 finishes ever did. Hayafuji previously played on the China Tour before transitioning to caddying.

2026 update: a significant change Hayafuji has been sharing bag duties for much of the 2026 season with backup caddie Taiga Tabuchi, after Hayafuji and his wife welcomed a baby earlier in the year.

As of the 2026 TOUR Championship, Hayafuji is sidelined entirely with a herniated disk in his neck, with Tabuchi carrying the bag full-time.

Matsuyama has told Hayafuji to take the rest of the season off, meaning Hayafuji is expected to miss the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah, a real shake-up to one of golf’s most iconic modern player-caddie partnerships.

Manager/Interpreter: Bob Turner, who also serves as Matsuyama’s English-language interpreter for media and public communications.

CAREER NUMBERS

MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Masters Tournament: Won 2021, the first-ever major championship win by a Japanese man in golf history. Has played 15 Masters, making the cut in 14 of them, one of the most consistent Augusta records of any active player.
U.S. Open: Best finish runner-up (2017); this result pushed him to his career-high World #2 ranking.
PGA Championship & The Open Championship: Multiple top finishes, no wins yet

OLYMPIC RESULTS

Represented Japan at both the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, winning the bronze medal in Paris (behind gold medalist Scottie Scheffler and silver medalist Tommy Fleetwood).

PRESIDENT’S CUP

A fixture of the International Team, having represented it in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022, and per the most recent team announcement, is expected to be selected again for the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah No. 3.

NOTABLE MILESTONES

• First Japanese man ever to win a major championship (2021 Masters)
• Reached World Amateur #1 in 2012 before turning pro
• Won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship twice (2010, 2011) as an amateur
• Two of his 11 PGA Tour wins came in playoffs at the same event, the WM Phoenix Open, against Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, three years apart
• One of the most recognizable and respected ambassadors for golf in Japan and across Asia

APPROX. NET WORTH

Estimates vary significantly by source and should be treated as informed guesses rather than confirmed figures, since athletes rarely disclose real finances.

Celebrity Net Worth places him around $100 million, driven by his $68M+ in official tour earnings plus significant endorsement income from Japanese and international brands.