It’s not high fashion, but the brilliant green jacket Hideki Matsuyama donned last weekend after winning the 85th Masters golf tournament is one of the most singular pieces of clothing in the world. It is given only to the winner of that championship, and identifies the wearer as the member of an elite club.
His victory was the first ever for a Japanese man in a major golf championship, and with it Matsuyama claimed his place in the pantheon of Japanese sports heroes. There will continue to be the richly deserved celebrations and hopefully it will mark a takeoff rather than a capstone in his career.
It was a victory some thought overdue. Many anticipated Matsuyama would claim that jacket after he was the low amateur at the 2011 Masters and finished 27th in that tournament. After he turned professional in 2013, that looked possible, if not likely.