Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama has given himself high marks for a 2024 season with two wins on tour and a difficult but successful Paris Olympics that has made him circle the 2028 Los Angeles Games on his calendar.

“I managed to win twice, so it was a very good year,” the 2021 Masters champion said in a recent interview in Tokyo. “Things turned out better than last year or the year before that.”

The wins took his PGA career wins to 10, a meaningful number he is hungry to add to.

Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational in February for his ninth PGA Tour victory, breaking a tie with South Korea’s K.J. Choi for the most by an Asian player.

Two weeks after taking bronze in Paris, Matsuyama won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in mid-August.

Asked to comment on reaching 10 wins, the 32-year-old said, “I think that’s one milestone. I hope to get my 11th soon if I can.”

At the Paris Olympics, Matsuyama finished two strokes behind gold medalist Scottie Scheffler of the United States and one behind Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood, but any disappointment he felt was soon outweighed by the gravity and unusual circumstances of his tournament.

“Of course, I tried to win gold,” Matsuyama said. “But when I settled for bronze, (national team manager Shigeki) Maruyama-san told me he was happy with a medal of any color. It made me so happy to think my efforts paid off.”

His strong showing came despite being in poor condition and brought an epiphany about how Olympic success touched a larger segment of society than he expected.

“At the Olympics, I was not well from the opening day. I felt something was off the whole time. It feels strange when I think about it, but it makes me really happy to have played well in that condition.”

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits off the 11th tee during the final round of the men’s golf tournament at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4, 2024. (Kyodo)

“When people who don’t usually watch golf reached out to me afterward, I realized that the Olympics and the tour are totally different in terms of their impact.”

At the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, golf competitions will be held at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, where Matsuyama got the first of his two 2024 wins.

“It’s a course I have fond memories of,” Matsuyama said. “In Los Angeles, there are many people who helped me out since I first came to the United States.”

“I don’t know what will happen in four years, but I want to be in a position to qualify. And then I’ll do my best to become the top contender for gold.”

Related coverage:

Golf: Matsuyama wins St. Jude C’ship for 10th U.S. PGA Tour title

Olympics: Matsuyama earns men’s golf bronze as Scheffler takes gold