Professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama has been named the Hickok Belt® Award winner for the month of April 2021. Voting was conducted by a select panel of members of the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). On April 11, Hideki Matsuyama delivered the performance of a lifetime with his triumphant win in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National. Matsuyama had 15 worldwide wins going into the tournament, finishing the Masters with a final round 73 and an overall score of 278 (-10), one shot ahead of second place winner Will Zatatoris. He became the first Japanese male to win a golf major. Rising to the top ten of the professional golf world with his win and earning the tournament’s coveted green jacket has brought Matsuyama the admiration of golf fans throughout the world.
Other finalists for the month of April in order of how the NSMA ranked them included: Steph Curry (basketball), Jacob deGrom (baseball), Mike Trout (baseball), Mark Melancon (baseball), Brad Marchand (hockey), Semyon Varlamov (hockey), Brad Keselowski (auto racing), Jamel Herring (boxing), and Super Stock (Ricardo Santana aboard) (horse racing).
His selection as the Hickok Belt® Award winner for April 2021 recognizes Hideki Matsuyama as “the best of the best” in professional sports for the month and makes him the fourth candidate eligible to receive the overall Hickok Belt® Award for 2021, joining Luka Doncic, Naomi Osaka and Patrick Mahomes. Winners as selected by the NSMA will be announced each month throughout 2021.
The Hickok Belt® Award was originally presented annually from 1950 to 1975. Past recipients include a list of the 20th century’s elite athletes including the likes of Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jim Brown and others who defined their sports. To learn more about the history of the Hickok Belt® Award and keep up with all the news surrounding the award in 2021, visit hickokbelt.com.
Provided information
