TOKYO • Hideki Matsuyama's historic victory at the Masters on Sunday could be worth US$20 million (S$26.8 million) a year in endorsements, a sports marketing expert told Sportico on Monday.
Bob Dorfman said that Matsuyama, the first Japanese to win a men's golf Major, could earn a total of US$600 million in endorsements over the rest of his life.
"Barring any career-ending injury or scandal, I'd say a Masters win is easily worth US$600 million for Matsuyama," Dorfman of Baker Street Advertising told Sportico.
"He'll be an icon in his golf-mad country."
Matsuyama, 29, won the Masters by one stroke over Will Zalatoris. He earned US$2.07 million for the win, after being the first Japanese amateur to play there in 2011.
"The Masters win is a game-changer," Bill Sanders told Sportico. "Japan has a long history of endorsement deals with Hollywood actors and athletes. The upside might be limited in the US, but it should be an enormous windfall in Japan."
Sanders, who managed the marketing career of Chinese basketball star Yao Ming, played down the language barrier of Matsuyama.
"English doesn't really matter for a full page ad in GQ," he said.
Matsuyama has career earnings of US$33.3 million on the golf course since turning pro in 2013.
He was already a popular endorser as Japan's top player with partners Lexus, Srixon and Nomura Securities among those earning him an estimated US$8 million to US$10 million a year off the course.
Although he has never been a fan of the spotlight, his victory is the fulfilment of a long-held ambition for the country, and it guarantees that he will be feted as a national hero, with the adoration and scrutiny that follow.
Japan is a nation of avid golfers, and the game's status as the sport of choice for the Western business and political elite has given it a special resonance. Success in sport has long been a critical gauge of the country's global standing, with the United States and Europe often the standard by which Japan measures itself.
"We have always dreamt of winning the Masters," said Andy Yamanaka, secretary-general of the Japan Golf Association.
"It's a very moving moment for all of us. I think a lot of people cried when he finished."
Those tears reflect, in part, a nation that sees itself as smaller and less powerful than other major countries, even though it is the world's third-largest economy. That means athletes who represent it globally are often burdened with expectations and pressures that transcend the field of play.
Golf is no exception. Even during low-stakes tournaments, a gaggle of Japanese reporters often trail Matsuyama, a degree of attention that the media-shy golfer seems to have found overwhelming.
His victory was a major breakthrough for a country that has the world's second-largest number of golf players and courses. The game is a ubiquitous presence throughout the nation, with the tall green nets of driving ranges marking the skyline of virtually every suburb. In 2019, the PGA added its first official tournament in Japan.
Following Matsuyama's win, TV networks ran breaking news flashes announcing the victory and several newspapers published special editions usually reserved only for major stories.
In the century since the game was introduced to Japan by foreign merchants, the country has produced a number of top-flight players, including Masashi Ozaki and Isao Aoki. But until last week, only two had won Major tournaments, both women: Hisako Higuchi at the 1977 LPGA Championship and Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 Women's British Open.
REUTERS, NYTIMES, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
