Japan is a golf-crazy country with a burning ambition to be a major power on the world stage. For decades, a host of top-notch golfers from the Land of the Rising Sun emerged but fell short of winning a major championship. 

Now, the wait is finally over. 

Shrugging off the heavy burden of history, Hideki Matsuyama beat the odds to win the Masters by one stroke at Augusta National and became the first Japanese man to claim a major title. The 29-year-old, who has long been expected to wow the golf course after establishing himself as a teenage prodigy, is also the showpiece tournament's first Asian-born champion.

For Matsuyama, it's been a long and at times tortuous journey. Four years ago, he climbed to second in the world rankings, but a dramatic dip in form saw him struggle in golf's biggest event. He had not won a trophy since 2017 until he made the breakthrough on Sunday.

The final round of the Masters was by no means straightforward. Matsuyama started the day 11 under par with a four-stroke lead over four golfers that included playing competitor Xander Schauffele and Masters debutant Zalatoris. 

The Japanese survived some late slip-ups, and a resilient fightback down the back nine from world No. 6 Schauffele, who finished 7-under, to claim the iconic green jacket in dramatic fashion. 

Matsuyama knows only too well what this triumph means for Japan. "I hope it will affect golf in a good way, not only those who are golfers already but the Japanese youngsters who are inclined to play golf," he beamed. "Maybe a lot of younger golfers thought, 'That's an impossibility,' but with me doing it they will realize it is possible and if they set their minds to it they can do it." 

The sentiment was echoed by five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods, who has been recuperating from leg injuries suffered in a car crash in February.  

"Making Japan proud Hideki," the golf icon tweeted. "Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical @TheMasters win will impact the entire golf world."

Matsuyama's popularity in Japan was not lost on former Masters champion Adam Scott, who was quoted as saying by the Washington Post, "I think he'd become the superstar of Japan if he isn't already. I don't think he really feels the weight of expectation like we all kind of can see what it would mean for Japan and golf over there." 

"He's a bit like a Tiger Woods to the rest of the world, Hideki in Japan," Scott added. "He has got such a big following every week, no matter how he plays anyway." 

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was equally exhilarated by the day's events, according to NHK. Speaking to local reporters on Monday morning in Tokyo, Suga called Matsuyama's historic win a source of pride and courage for the Japanese people during the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"He's also a graduate of a university in Tohoku," Suga said, referring to the northeastern region of Japan devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami 10 years ago. "[His win] has also provided a big boost to the recovery from the disasters." 

There is not doubt that Matsuyama's incredible triumph at Augusta National will reverberate around the world, and it seems apt that the country that was desperate to produce a flag-bearer for golfing eventually made its dream come true.