On Sunday, Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters by one shot over the rookie Will Zalatoris. Will had finished with a great score after the third round that looked like it might be enough to keep that first place position going into Sunday's last round. But that close finish does not tell the nature of how remarkable Matsuyama's performance really was. In the third round, Matsuyama took control of the event after a rain delay of an hour and a half. For some reason, he was the only golfer that adjusted well to the wet greens on the back nine. He shot a 30 to give him a four shot lead going into Sunday, which he never relinquished.
The only time the Masters was close again was after the 15th hole on Sunday, when Matsuyama made a bogey on that hole by hitting the ball over the green into the water. This made his lead only two shots over Xander Schauffele, who in his own right was catching up to make a great finish. But Schauffele himself proceeded to hit his shot on the 16th hole into the water! This gave Matsuyama the room to cruise in for the victory but by only one shot over Zalatoris.
With Matsuyama winning the Masters, he will become quite the sports celebrity in Japan. Golf is a very popular sport there. Probably second or third behind the most popular sport of baseball in this country. His popularity will now be close behind baseball player Ichiro Suzuki who is like the Michael Jordan of Japan. No pressure!
You all know how much I enjoy the Masters and it was great to see the sun come out on Sunday showing off the beauty of the course and hearing the familiar noises coming from the small but vocal gallery. It will be extra special next year when they can go back to 100 percent spectator capacity for the course again.
The Phillies are doing their best to frustrate me, which is nothing new. They have struggled this week to produce any decent offense. Because of this, they are two and six over the last eight games and have fallen out of first place already. The hitting has to ramp up because if it does not, they will fall hopelessly behind the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves in their division. The team is striking out an alarming rate! They have over 100 strike outs in only 12 games. Not good! But, as the diehard fan that I am, I am hoping this stat will greatly improve when they have their series with the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
