Hideki Matsuyama's caddy paid respect to Augusta National with beautiful gesture
Hideki Matsuyama made history on Sunday, becoming the first Japanese man to win a major championship. His caddy, Shota Hayafuji, played a major role in that win, and he found a way to pay tribute to the great Augusta National golf course during a long-held caddy tradition.
The moment came after Hayafuji collected the flag from the 18th green, which is a tradition for caddies whenever their golfer wins a tournament. When he was returning the flag pole to the hole, he made a small gesture that communicated a lot of emotion. You can watch it play out in the video below.
Mission accomplished.
So much respect for Augusta. pic.twitter.com/lRyhMtNOlf— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 11, 2021
After the flag pole was placed back into the hole, Hayafuji took off his hat and gave a small bow to the course. It was a lovely moment, and it's even more meaningful with some additional context: Matsuyama's legendary Masters win was his first with Hayafuji as his caddy.
More from Yahoo Sports: