A Great Moment Of Masters Respect From Matsuyama’s Caddie

One of the spoils of victory at The Masters, or any professional tournament, is the flag at the 18th hole  — it belongs to the winning player’s caddie and that was Shota Hayafuji.

Hayafuji removed the flagstick at 18 after Hideki’s triumph, removed the flag, replaced the flagstick then turned and faced the 18th fairway and bowed.

The bow is part of Japanese culture.  It’s used when greeting others and is a sign of respect in a society that places tremendous value on respecting others.  It even carries over into the business world.  When you meet someone from Japan for the first time, they will bow and it is appropriate to bow in return.  It’s also important to have your business card ready and a bonus to carry it in a separate card holder.  When a Japanese business-person hands you his card (and they’re big on business cards), you accept it, bow and put it into your card holder or wallet, not in your pocket.

Okay, enough of Japanese business protocol, back to Shota’s show of respect for Augusta National.  His bow went viral and the reaction was overwhelming with everyone impressed by his gesture.

For the record, it was Shota’s first win on Hideki’s bag.  Hideki was long overdue, having not won since the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

It was a huge payday for Matsuyama — $2,070,000 — to be exact.  With Shota being his friend as well as his caddie, the traditional 10 percent for Shota would be a $200,000 payday.

Billy Horschel Apologizes For Temperamental Outburst:

Billy Horschel can get a little hot under the collar at times and that happened during Sunday’s final round at The Masters.

Horschel blew off some steam by slamming a club into his bag but that wasn’t good enough, he pulled it up, slammed it again, then again — a total of three times.

Now decorum is a huge part of the tradition at Augusta National, rarely do you see guys lose their temper and put on a display, as Horschel did.

Horschel was quick to take to social media and apologized on his Twitter account for the incident:

“I am and have always been a fiery competitor,” Horschel wrote. “Unfortunately, the fire inside me sometimes runs hot when I’m not getting the most out of my game. This leads to some instances where my conduct is not what I wish to show, especially as a role model to the younger generation.  I apologize to Augusta National, the Members of the Club and to the patrons for any conduct that may have crossed the line.  I am always trying to improve and do better; as a golfer, husband, father, or as a human being.”

Billy ran into some trouble Sunday at the par five 13th when his drive landed just outside the water in Rae’s Creek, left of the fairway.  Horschel removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his trousers and attempt to extract his ball.  His second  shot went only a yard then his third went a few inches.  He finally gave up, took a penalty and would end up with a triple-bogey eight on his way to a closing 76 and a tie for 50th.