It was a quiet afternoon at Mission Hills Golf Club just outside Shenzhen, China. The date was Aug 15, 2011. Sat at a neatly arranged outdoor setting were two interpreters, a teenaged Hideki Matsuyama, his team manager and yours truly.
It was not your normal interview. The Japanese interpreter assigned to me that day could not speak English, only Chinese.
So, my questions, in English, first had to be translated to Chinese, then delivered in Japanese to Matsuyama, who then answered back in Japanese and his replies were relayed back to me via the same dual-language process.
It was a cumbersome scene, but at the same time, it comically broke the ice between Matsuyama and me.
We were there for a pre-tournament interview ahead of the start of the golf competition at the World University Games. Matsuyama was an amateur at that time and coming off his first real foray into elite international golf.
The 19-year-old had turned heads at his debut appearance at the US Masters that April finishing in a tie for 27th alongside the likes of Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter and Matt Kuchar to claim the Silver Cup as low amateur.
He had gained an invite by way of winning the Asian Amateur Championship. More impressive was that it came against the tragic backdrop of the tsunami that tore through his native Japan a month before Augusta.
Matsuyama, a student in Sendai – a city of over one million people and some 130km west of the epicentre of the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck on March 11 – was one of the many deeply affected by the disaster.
Yet, despite strong reservations about taking his place in the Masters field, Matsuyama travelled to Augusta, Georgia, knowing that he could give hope to the many grieving souls back home.
“Because of the encouragement I received from those close to me in Sendai and the other people in Sendai, I feel I should play,” he said at a press conference, through a translator.
“I have decided I will, not just for myself but for the people who made me who I am. I hope I can play my best to lift the spirits of those who are rooting for me back home, supporting me even though they are suffering.”
At our cosy interview in Shenzhen, while keen to observe his privacy, Matsuyama revealed the strength of mind and determination he had showed to play for his country, and those close to him.
“Although the tsunami had a bad influence on Japan, I had to try my best to get it out of my mind so I could perform at my best and give hope to everybody to overcome the difficulty,” he said.
Matsuyama was one of the lucky ones – abroad at the time chasing his fledgling golfing career. But grief did not escape him.
When he returned, he found his college accommodation at Tohoku Fukushi University destroyed. And like many others, held fears for the safety of his friends and family. Golf, though, was a solace.
Following his amateur success at the US Masters, Matsuyama claimed the Japan Collegiate Championship and then marched onto World University Games in Shenzhen eyeing individual and team triumph.
His motivation and attitude then, was even more poignant as we sat celebrating his triumph on Sunday at Augusta.
“I love the opportunity to represent and fight for Japan, and although I am only an amateur now, I hope to do my utmost to become a professional golfer and play for my country.”
Matsuyama also led Japan to win the gold medal in the team event and was duly saluted in the individual event, carving up the Mission Hills complex and displaying some of the shotmaking we are now so accustomed to.
Being a golfer myself, I was in awe of what I saw. At the time I wrote – “From go, you are mesmerised by his length and height of shots, seeing him launch the tiny white ball into orbit and landing on a small 10 cent coin time after time.”
I even suggested “the name Hideki Matsuyama could be soon mentioned alongside Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy” as a Major winner and star of the game. I didn’t have to be an expert to get that prediction right.
Matsuyama enjoyed further success as an amateur, claiming a second Asian Amateur Championship in 2012 (and a repeat visit to the US Masters), and reaching No 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings in August 2012, all before turning professional in April 2013.
The rest, they say, is history – that is up until Sunday, though, when Matsuyama was able to write a new page for himself, becoming the first Japanese male golfer to win a Major and the first Asian golfer to win the US Masters.
As someone who has followed his career every step of the way, it was only a matter of not if but when.
Back in 2011, he said of his debut Augusta experience: “I played very well at the Masters in Augusta as I learned a lot from my fellow competitors and they encouraged me to play well on the big stage.
“I loved being able to play the course as it made me very happy. That is how I like to play golf, so I was able to play some of my best-ever performances.”
At his post-round press conference on Sunday, some 10 years on, Matsuyama once again had warm feelings about Augusta National.
“I’m really happy,” he said. “My nerves really didn’t start on the second nine. It was right from the start today and right to the very last putt. I was thinking about (my family) all the way round today and I’m really happy I played well for them.
“Hopefully, I’ll be a pioneer and many other Japanese people will follow. I’m glad to be able to open the floodgates and hopefully many more will follow me.”
Matsuyama is known for being very private and a man of few words, but my encounter with him in Shenzhen all those years ago will forever stick with me.
Despite the language barrier, he’d always welcome me with a smile and share “Good morning, Lloyd” in English.
Comically, every US Masters since 2013, I have subsequently laid a small wager on Matsuyama to win the Green Jacket in hope that the “not if but when” idiom would come true.
This was the first year I had not. Call that karma, or just bad luck, but to see Matsuyama reach his zenith on the most famous stage is very gratifying. Hopefully one day we’ll get to meet again.