[ti:Japan Celebrates Golfer’s Victory at the Masters] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Golfer Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese champion [00:06.12]of a men's major tournament Sunday at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. [00:14.88]The event is the first of the four professional major tournaments, every year. [00:21.92]The others are the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship. [00:29.76]Over four days of play, Matsuyama finished one stroke better than Will Zalatoris, [00:37.68]a Californian playing in the tournament for the first time. [00:43.56]"It was really wonderful," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said of the Masters win. [00:52.40]Japan is preparing to open the Tokyo Olympics in July, [00:57.52]after COVID-19 forced a year-long postponement of the 2020 Summer Games. [01:07.48]Matsuyama's success, Suga said, "moved our hearts and gave us courage." [01:17.40]Japanese golfers have seen some international success. [01:23.36]Two, Chako Higuchi and Hinako Shibuno, [01:29.92]won championships of women's majors in 1977 and 2019. [01:37.64]The closest a Japanese player came to a men's major win was Isao Aoki in 1980. [01:47.00]He finished second to Jack Nicklaus at the U.S. Open that year. [01:54.76]The Masters is the only one of the four men's majors [02:00.84]where there has been a winner from all continents where golf is played. [02:07.60]Aoki spoke about Sunday's finish in comments published by Golf Digest online. [02:16.72]He noted another Matsuyama victory that lifted the spirits [02:20.96]of the Japanese people during a difficult time. [02:25.68]In 2011, Matsuyama won non-professional play [02:31.20]at the Masters tournament, earning the Silver Cup award. [02:36.12]His performance came just weeks [02:40.04]after the earthquake and resulting tsunami [02:43.96]and nuclear power factory disaster in the Fukushima area of Japan. [02:51.92]About 18,000 people were killed. [02:56.80]Aoki said Matsuyama "gave hope to so many people," [03:03.44]when they were feeling bad. [03:06.40]Nicklaus said Matsuyama will always be a hero in Japan, [03:11.80]adding, "this is a great day for him, for Japan, [03:16.92]and for the global game of golf!" [03:20.48]The U.S. Embassy in Japan offered congratulations to Matsuyama. [03:27.56]Outside a busy transport station in Tokyo, [03:31.88]one man called the victory "tremendous." [03:35.40]He said Matsuyama had set a great goal for Japan's next generation. [03:42.12]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM