Spotlight is on Rising Star Hideki Matsuyama

JACK NICKLAUS and Rory McIlroy have both said that they wouldn't ever want to swap places with Tiger Woods. It has nothing to do with his health issues or his struggles with his game - both men say that they couldn't cope with living their lives in the goldfish bowl that Woods swims around in, having every move scrutinised, never being able to go anywhere without being surrounded by people looking for autographs or just wanting to talk to him.

For the greatest player the game has seen and it's most naturally gifted exponent to express such views may come as a surprise when you consider that they have both spent some time under the microscope themselves. But Nicklaus is quick to point out that when he was winning his 18 majors things were rather different - there were no mobile phones complete with cameras and there was no social media. He was allowed to get on with his life, to play golf, win tournaments and enjoy time with his family. When he went out for a meal he was generally left in peace.

McIlroy may well be one of golf's most high-profile players but even in this era when your every move is scrutinised, the attention focused on him comes nowhere close to that which Woods is subjected to. Spare a thought then for Hideki Matsuyama, the Japanese superstar with the winning habit.

Japan has long craved a golfing superstar, and there have been several players who looked like they might deliver. Jumbo Ozaki won dozens of tournaments in Asia and attracted a huge following, as did Isao Aoki, and the latter did achieve some global success, but not the majorthe land of the rising sun wanted. There have been plenty of others and, for a time, Ryo Ishikawa appeared to be the real deal. He has enjoyed some level of success on the PGA Tour, but a superstar? Not quite.

And then along came Matsuyama. A former world number one amateur, he has a technique that is all his own. Taught by his father, he has a pause at the top of his backswing before delivering the club to the ball at awesome speed. Right from the off, Matsuyama appeared to be something special, and so it has proved.

He turned professional in 2013 and won while playing in only his second tournament,  the Tsuruya Open, on the Japanese Tour. Later that year he finished 10th at the US Open and tied sixth at The Open, serving notice that here was an Asian golfer who just might be able to deliver. Before the year was out he had won his fifth Japanese Tour title and earned enough money to be awarded his playing rights on the PGA Tour.

And in 2014 he won the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, climbing to 13th in the world rankings and finishing 28th in the FedEx Cup standings. The following year Matsuyama finished tied fifth at The Masters, was 16th in the FedEx Cup and qualified to play against the USA in the Presidents Cup.

But it was in 2016 that the world really began to sit up take notice. He won the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, beating Rickie Fowler in a playoff and coping with the unique atmosphere created by more than 600,000 spectators. It was a coming of age for Matsuyama, and it was only the start.

In October he won the Japan Open and followed that two weeks later with victory in the WGC Champions tournament in Shanghai and then won the Taiheiyo Masters in November for the second time, having previously taken the title in 2012 as an amateur. Next came the Hero World Challenge, which he won at a canter. And he has just topped that off by successfully defending the Phoenix Open. He is just 24 years old but has already won four PGA Tour titles and eight more on the Japanese Tour.

What makes all of this all the more remarkable is that he has achieved all of this while having his every move on and off the golf course followed by a Japanese media that has an insatiable appetite for any sportsman who makes his mark on the world stage. And that appetite is only going to increase as he wins more titles. Imagine what his will be like when he wins his first major. And make no mistake, Matsuyama will win his first major - and he will do it soon.

He has already declared that everything he has done in the past few months has been with The Masters in mind. remember that he has already demonstrated that he knows how to play Augusta. If he becomes the first Japanese golfer to wear the Green Jacket his earning power will hit the stratosphere. And it would be a foolish person who bets against him doing precisely that.

Fortunately, Matsuyama appears to be a grounded young man who has been able to keep things in perspective. But if anybody thinks that the scrutiny Woods has endured is excessive, prepare to see it move to a whole different level for Matsuyama. All of us who follow this great game can only pray that he is able to cope.