AKRON, Ohio _ Before each of golf's professional majors, the world's top players know the question is coming.
The large and ever-present Japanese media contingent is as persistent as the Argentinian who has been asking about 40-year-old Spurs guard Manu Ginobli's impact on the NBA since at least the 2016 All-Star Game.
When will Hideki Matsuyama win a major?
Matsuyama, 25, carries the hopes of a nation as he strives to become the first Japanese man to win the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open or the PGA Championship, to be played this week at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.
Jordan Spieth was not being disrespectful when he was asked which will be posed first at his pre-PGA interview, a prediction for Matsuyama's major breakthrough or how he feels about his chance to complete the career Grand Slam.
"Probably the latter," Spieth said. "I normally don't get asked about Hideki until the third or fourth question."
On Sunday, the question became more relevant than ever.
Matsuyama put on a stunning display that showcased his talents and emotional control, firing a course-record-tying 61 in the final round of the $9.75 million World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Trailing by 2 after three rounds, Matsuyama won by 5 strokes over third-round co-leader Zach Johnson.
With his third PGA Tour victory this season and his second WGC, Matsuyama became the fourth player to shoot 61 at Firestone Country Club's South Course, but only Matsuyama posted the number in the final round. Tiger Woods turned in that score in the second round in both 2000 and 2013, Sergio Garcia in the second round in 2014 and Jose Maria Olazabal in the first round of the 1990 NEC World Series of Golf. All but Garcia won the tournament.
Woods, Garcia and Olazabal have all won majors, with a combined 17 between them, so Japan's drought may not last much longer.
"I think it's a matter of time for Hideki," Spieth said before the British Open. "I have no doubt he'll win a major soon. I've been saying that for a couple of years now, and I don't think anything will change going forward. He's shown us each year he's capable of doing so. And he's played well at Augusta since he was, what, 18? He has as good a chance as any of winning one when he tees it up in a major."
In the wake of his Bridgestone performance, the PGA Championship may set television ratings records in Japan next week, even though the rounds will be concluding at 7 a.m. in Tokyo.
"I hope their expectations aren't too high, but my expectations really at the beginning of this week weren't that high, either, and here we are," Matsuyama said through interpreter Bob Turner. "Maybe I'll try that next week, just not have too many _ too high of expectation, not set the bar too high and hopefully we'll have a good outcome."
It's hard to fathom the pressure under which Matsuyama plays. He ignited the major frenzy by twice finishing as low amateur at the Masters, gaining entry by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Ranked third in the world, he has five PGA Tour victories in 100 starts and has won six of his past 20 starts worldwide.
But while he said he has come to love the relationships and camaraderie he has with his fellow players, there is still a major language barrier.
In his victory press conference, Matsuyama seemed like he would be a great person to talk to. He appeared to understand the questions, but did not speak a word of English. But when asked where he keeps all his trophies in his home in Sendai, Japan, he playfully expounded.
"They're just around. I like to see them," he said. When asked if they were all together, he said, "No, they're all throughout the house." As for where the distinctive Bridgestone trophy will go, he said, "Not sure, maybe in the dining room."
To Matsuyama, not speaking the language is the biggest challenge he faces while playing in the United States.
"There's been a lot of different things," he said. "The English especially is ... I would love to be able to speak with all of you right now and I wouldn't need Bob and I could ... every day would be no stress and I could enjoy life and everything and get to know everybody. I do look forward to the day that I can converse with all of you in English."
On top of that are the long interviews Matsuyama conducts with the Japanese media after each round.
"I wouldn't call it fun. It's something I don't look forward to, but I played in Europe three weeks and there weren't any Japanese media, not many there," he said. "I'm enjoying it more and more, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more later on today."
Few among the world's top players deal with the kind of stress Matsuyama faces. But after his victory, it was easy to see where his relationship with his peers comes from. In shooting a course record at Firestone in the final round, a feat that 14-time major winner and eight-time Bridgestone champion Woods never accomplished, Matsuyama spoke a universal language.
He also served notice to those who gave chase Sunday that those bothersome "When will Hideki Matsuyama win a major?" questions may be short-lived.
Unless they segue into "When will Hideki Matsuyama win another major?"
