KAWAGOE, Saitama Pref. (Kyodo) Hideki Matsuyama won the Asian amateur golf championship on Sunday, earning the 18-year-old a spot in the 2011 Masters Tournament.
Matsuyama closed with a 4-under 67 to finish at 15-under 269, five shots clear of Tarquin MacManus of Australia at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Matsuyama will be the first Japanese amateur to play at the Masters and the second youngest Japanese to do so at 19 next year. Ryo Ishikawa made his Masters debut in 2009 at age 17 as a special invitee.
"I tried not to think about the Masters. I woke up nervous this morning but I just spent time as usual," said Matsuyama, who competed with Ishikawa in their high school years.
"Ryo Ishikawa has missed the cut at the Masters for two years in a row. I'll practice hard and try to make the cut on my first attempt," he said.