MONTREAL (AP) — Shigeki Maruyama was all smiles, just like always, watching from in front of the 12th green as Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im delivered a record-tying rout over America's best foursomes duo Friday at the Presidents Cup. Maruyama was known as the “Smiling Assassin” during his career. His value as an assistant captain for the International team is that Matsuyama is now smiling, too.
It's been like that all summer. That smile is infectious. “Hideki's rhythm is really important to him, the way he goes about his daily routine,” Maruyama said through his son, Sean, who played college golf at UCLA.
“When he feels he needs a word to cheer him up, I step in and talk to him and it gets him to lighten up.” Maruyama has been the Japan national coach at the Olympics since golf returned in 2016. Matsuyama had his best Olympic moment in Paris, winning a bronze medal.
Two weeks later, he won the first PGA Tour playoff event at the FedEx St. Jude Championship . Photos from Paris of Matsuyama looking free and happy caught the attention of International captain Mike Weir.
He had one extra assistant to appoint, and the choice was obvious. “You saw him at the Olympics. They were both smiling.
He makes Hideki feel comfortable,” Weir said after watching Matsuyama and Im win 7 and 6, handing Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele their first foursomes loss in the Presidents Cup. “That's how I got the idea, the Olympics,” Weir said. “I had the option for a fift.