I want to be a presence that illuminates the path that Hideki Matsuyama is heading for.
The following is from https://golfsapuri.com/article/10004431.
It was discovered on the Internet on 2021-04-11 and transmitted in Japanese.
Hidenori Mezawa to coach Hideki Matsuyama: "I want to be the one to light the path that Hideki Matsuyama is trying to take.
What is the reason why Hidenori Mezawa was welcomed to Team Matsuyama?
In the past, Hidenori Mezawa, known as Yui Kawamoto's exclusive professional coach, has said that his goal is for the professionals he coaches to win one of the four major championships. He is now dramatically closer to that goal. He became the coach of Hideki Matsuyama, the closest Japanese professional golfer to winning a major.
Hideki Matsuyama is a player who has fought as a self-coaching sect. How did the two approach and recognize each other?
We asked Hidenori Mezawa himself to talk about the process.
Golf Supplement (GS)
First of all, congratulations to Hideki Matsuyama on becoming a coach and joining Team Matsuyama. Now, let me ask you again. Is it correct to say that you will be welcoming Hideki Matsuyama as his swing coach? Can you tell us how it received you to Team Matsuyama?
Professional Coach Hidenori Mezawa (from now on referred to as Mezawa)
Swing, I guess. I will be joining Team Matsuyama as a team member who has supported Matsuyama up to now, such as trainer Iida (Mitsuki), caddie Hayato (Shota), and Dunlop's Toshikazu Miyano, who is in charge of Matsuyama's clubs.
How did you decide to join GS Team Matsuyama?
Mezawa
I went to the KPMG PGA Championship in October (October 8-11) as a Yui Kawamoto coach. After that, I was assigned to go to the PGA Tour's "The CJ Cup at Shadow Creek" (October 15-18). That's because I was invited by the tour reps of a golf manufacturer with whom I have a good relationship both in public and private life.
GS
Was it an invitation to meet Matsuyama? Was it an invitation to meet Matsuyama?
Mezawa
It's not that clear. It just so happened that Matsuyama had fallen apart on the last day of the U.S. Open, and he was struggling with how to shift his golf game in the Corona Vortex (where the pace is easily broken). At that time, I was supposed to accompany Kawamoto to a tournament in the U.S., and he asked me if I would like to come here (to the PGA Tour). I could talk with Matsuyama and learn from him by watching the PGA Tour, which I rarely get to see live.
GS
So, you met Matsuyama for the first time at "The CJ Cup at Shadow Creek"?
Mezawa
Yes, that's right. Of course, I knew his name from when I was a student, and even after I became a coach, I was constantly checking on him. But that was the first time we met and talked.
GS
When you met him, did you expect that he would join the team as a coach?
Mezawa
Yes, I did. I went to the venue as if I was on a "social studies tour for adults," so I had no idea at that time that I would be Matsuyama's coach.
GS
But there was something in the interaction between you and Matsuyama that moved him, wasn't there? You also accompanied him to practice rounds, didn't you?
Mezawa
Yes, I did. But I don't know what motivated me. I think top players like Matsuyama have always had a firsthand understanding of everything. Besides, at that time, I was more interested in being taught than teaching. I would ask Matsuyama what I wanted to ask him, and he would answer me. Of course, Matsuyama would also ask me, "At times like this, I end up like this. What do you think? He would ask me questions, and I would tell him my thoughts.
GS
Can I ask you precisely what Matsuyama asked Mezawa-san?
Mezawa
I'm sorry about that. Matsuyama might not want me to be too specific, and I don't feel comfortable talking about it without him. If I could talk about it a little, when I told him my thoughts, he said, "I didn't know that myself. If he had been playing by himself, he wouldn't have wanted to touch it, but he accepted my idea that "if you have the movement you are looking for and the ball you want to hit, you should do it this way," and that may have been the trigger, or it may have resonated with him.
GS
I was able to hear what Matsuyama might need to be told objectively. Also, the content was in line with Matsuyama's thoughts, I guess.
Mezawa
Yes, I guess so. He also said that it was a feeling that he had forgotten. He also said, "When you say it, I can see it, but I didn't understand it at the time.
GS
You arrived at the venue on Monday and stayed together for four days.
Mezawa
That's right. On Monday, I had a PCR test, so I arrived at the venue around 2:00 p.m. I watched him practice for about three hours; the next day was a practice round, so I accompanied him for 18 holes, and on Wednesday, I watched him practice after the pro-am. On Wednesday, I watched the practice after the pro-am. I watched the first day's play, and then I went to the practice after that.
GS
What kind of conversations did you have during practice rounds?
Mezawa
On the course, I would ask him, "In this kind of place, this kind of ball comes out, how do you hit it? But since it was our first time together, we talked a lot about our golf views and how we played. That's what we talked about a lot. We also asked each other questions about what I know as a coach and what I wouldn't know if I wasn't a player. It was like we were exchanging opinions for four days.
A player who makes you think that you can only work with him if you are "real
GS What was your impression of Matsuyama when you first met and talked with him?
Mezawa
My impression of him has changed from what I had before. I found him to be a very flexible person. I only got to see him during games, so I didn't know what he was doing in practice. But he cared about the process of getting into the routine, and when he said that he was "the most practiced player," he was right. And even though he's been in the Tour Championship for a long time and has been a top-level player for a long time, when he comes to the practice range, he's chasing the ball like a boy. I was impressed by his attitude. I also realized that I needed to have more "depth" to teach such people. I also realized that players like him are the "real thing," and he made me think that I need to become the "real thing" if I want to work with him.
GS
Matsuyama is a "real" professional golfer, isn't he?
Mezawa
Yes, he is. Otherwise, I don't think he would have been able to keep fighting like that.
GS
So, I guess being in contact with such a respected player gave you a strong desire to become a coach for such a player.
Mezawa
I went there to study, so I didn't think about it at the time. However, I didn't want to do anything irresponsible like talking to him only for those four days, so I contacted him after "The CJ Cup at Shadow Creek" was over and asked him how it went. Matsuyama said, "I can't do it right away, but I feel refreshed," so I thought I was able to help him a little.
GS
Did you communicate with him in subsequent matches?
Mezawa
Yes, we did. Soon after that, there was the "ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP" (October 22-25), and we communicated online at that time, watching each other's swings, etc. Until the "Masters" (November 12-15) was over, we kept in touch. Then, the week before the Masters, there was the Vivint Houston Open (November 5-8), where I finished second. In practice after the third day of the Houston Open, I said, "I think I might be in good shape," and that's how I ended up in second place. Your words and results are linked, aren't they? I think that's a great thing for the athletes, and the Masters was excellent during the race. It made me feel like I was helping them a little bit.
I don't want to be a checker, but I want to be a mirror for Matsuyama.
GS
So, what did you think when he asked you to do that?
Mezawa
I had always wanted to coach PGA Tour players, and my dream as a coach was for the players I teach to win majors, so I felt like I would never have such a chance. That's why when I heard that I would be joining Team Matsuyama, I said to myself, "I'd like to do it. That was at the end of November or the beginning of December, I think.
GS
But it must have been a big decision for you since you have been a self-coached player for a long time.
Mezawa
I think so. It's not an easy decision to make, I'm sure. For me, it's an honor to join the ranks of the people who have supported Matsuyama and the accomplishments he has built up over the years, but to be honest, I was also a little scared. But I told him that if he depended on me, I would do everything I could to help him, and he accepted, and I became a member of the team.
GS
As a swing coach, people may think that you are in a position to refer to Matsuyama's swing.
Mezawa
I think my role is to be a "mirror" for Matsuyama rather than a swing expert. Rather than being a checker, I would like to be a bridge for Matsuyama to achieve what he wants to achieve. Besides, I think Matsuyama has the image of winning, and he knows how to win. As a coach, you are not a player, so you don't know how to win, so I don't intend to control that. I need to work together with my teammates, such as my trainer and caddie, to make Team Matsuyama more exciting. I need to work together with my teammates, such as my trainer and caddie, to make Team Matsuyama more exciting and use that combined power to help Matsuyama succeed. By doing so, I hope to boost the Japanese golf world, and I would like to support everyone rather than just myself.
GS
Mr. Mezawa, you don't want to coach players according to your own ideal swing, do you?
Mezawa
That's right. Swings are different for each person.
GS
Is there anything you are looking forward to about going to the U.S.?
Mezawa
As I support Matsuyama, I will have a chance to meet various coaches and talk with players on the PGA Tour. I'm looking forward to learning things that I didn't know and seeing the world that I couldn't see before. Also, I think that my participation in Team Matsuyama is an opportunity that I was given. I have nothing but gratitude for the people around me, so I would like to give something back. I hope to create an environment in the golf world where players like Matsuyama and his rivals can be produced, and I also hope to create an opportunity for the coaching industry to flourish.
This article continues.
