Not related but inspired: Japan’s Mao Matsuyama, 16, makes PGA TOUR debut at Sony Open in Hawaii

Japan’s Mao Matsuyama, 16, holds no relation to a star fellow countryman – but he’s chasing a similar stature in the game of golf.

“I often get asked if we are brothers or related,” he said of 11-time TOUR winner Hideki Matsuyama. “Thanks to my last name, I get more attention from everyone, and I think that may be a good thing.”

Mao Matsuyama is playing this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii on a sponsor exemption after winning last year’s Japan Amateur at age 15, becoming the youngest winner in the event’s history. He broke the mark set by Takumi Kanaya, who won the 2015 Japan Amateur at age 17. (Interestingly, Kanaya is making his PGA TOUR debut as a member at the Sony Open after earning his card via PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry last month.)

The Sony Open marks Mao Matsuyama’s first time playing golf outside Japan, a life memory for the teen who has watched the event since childhood. Yet the experience was heightened in a Tuesday practice round alongside Hideki Matsuyama. The elder Matsuyama, winner of the 2022 Sony Open, won last week’s season-opening The Sentry with a TOUR 72-hole record score to par (35-under). Two days before their practice round at Waialae, Mao Matsuyama closely followed The Sentry.

“I watched it in its entirety,” Mao said. “It was an amazing feat in itself to win the tournament. But to do so with that score was absolutely incredible. I only have one word - incredible.

“It was really a learning experience for me,” Mao added of his Tuesday round with Hideki. “I was fortunate to play a round with him to continue my education.”

Japanese players are historically fan favorites at the Sony Open, dating back to Isao Aoki’s memorable 1983 victory with a hole-out eagle at the 72nd hole to win by one. Two years ago, Hideki Matsuyama’s Sony Open title was met with similar fervor; he made up a five-stroke deficit on the final nine and defeated Russell Henley with an eagle on the first playoff hole.

“I’ve watched the telecast many times since I was little,” Mao said this week. “For me to be a part of this tournament, it is an absolute honor.”

Perhaps this week, aspiring Japanese golfers will find Mao when they tune in.

Mao Matsuyama hails from Nagoya, Japan, the middle sibling of three (he has an older brother and a younger sister). He picked up a golf club at age 3 before starting to play more consistently at age 5 – his dad enjoyed the game, and he liked to tag along. At age 8, he started dreaming of becoming a professional golfer.

“As I played golf every day, I started to feel the sense of joy and fun in the game,” Mao Matsuyama said. “I realized that I wanted to play this game for a long time. That’s how I started dreaming about becoming a professional golfer.”

He committed to the craft and progressed toward a crescendo last summer, winning the Toyota Junior World Cup and Japan Amateur in back-to-back weeks. That stretch vaulted him inside the top 200 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking; he currently stands No. 195.

In many ways, his journey is just beginning. He knows that. But for inspiration to the possibilities of achievement at the highest level, he doesn’t need to venture too far.

“I want to be one of the best golfers in the world just like Hideki Matsuyama and even go beyond that,” Mao Matsuyama said this week. “As a Japanese, I want the world to know my name and be a famous professional golfer.”

Mao Matsuyama will begin the Sony Open at 1:40 p.m. local time Thursday (6:40 p.m. ET) alongside Isaiah Salinda and John Pak.