NTT DATA to Sponsor Pro Golfer Hideki Matsuyama

TOKYO – May 11, 2021 – NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader, today announced that it has concluded a sponsorship agreement with professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama, for three years beginning May 17, 2021. Matsuyama will display the NTT DATA logo on the right sleeve of his game wear starting with the 2021 PGA Championship to be held from May 20, and will participate in sponsored activities.

Background
Professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama is a top global athlete who plays on the PGA Tour, considered the world’s premier golf tournament. He is the first Japanese to win a major golf championship, achieving victory at the Masters Tournament in April 2021. He has eight wins on the Japan Golf Tour and six on the PGA Tour, and has reached the rank of second in the Official World Golf Rankings, the highest ever for a Japanese golfer.

Matsuyama continues to take on new challenges, following an unrelenting practice schedule reflecting his strong desire for improvement and high level of skill, in pursuit of an ambitious goal to win all four PGA Major Golf Tournament events, a feat never achieved by a Japanese golfer. Meanwhile, NTT DATA is pursuing its own goal of creating the future with new information technologies, aiming to be among the top five global firms in the IT services field. NTT DATA sympathizes with Matsuyama’s desire to be among the best in the world, and decided to conclude this sponsorship agreement.

Overview of the sponsorship agreement
Contract period: Three years from May 17, 2021 to May 16, 2024

Matsuyama will display the NTT DATA logo on the right sleeve of his game wear, starting with the PGA Championship to be held from May 20, 2021. NTT DATA is also planning various activities to support Matsuyama, as well as collaboration events. See more on HIDEKI MATSUYAMA sponsored by NTT DATA – Create the future.

Message from NTT DATA CEO Yo Honma
“We are extremely honored to have this opportunity to sponsor the top Japanese athlete Hideki Matsuyama. Winning a major golf tournament has been an earnest desire for Japanese, which was realized with Matsuyama’s recent Masters Tournament victory. The struggles he faced to achieve this are beyond imagination. We have been encouraged by this relentless ambition and unsurpassed effort. NTT DATA is also challenging the world, setting a goal of becoming one of the top five global firms in the IT services sector. Together with Matsuyama, we will steadily push forward with a strong will and commitment to accomplishment without fear of change.”

Comment from Hideki Matsuyama
“I am very honored to receive the support of NTT DATA, a leading Japanese company, in the form of a sponsorship deal. I felt so privileged when I first learned of their offer, knowing that NTT DATA is also a patron of the British Open. Each day, I continue striving with firm conviction to be the world’s number one golfer. NTT DATA has expressed its intention to aim for the top of the world with me. I appreciate the company’s mission to realize the future on a global scale through diverse IT solutions, which further inspires me to continue my bid to achieve the future I aim for. Together with NTT DATA, I hope to inspire and encourage all of my supporters around the world.

Hideki Matsuyama Profile

Affiliation: Lexus
Born: February 25, 1992
Birthplace: Matsuyama City, Ehime
Height/weight: 181 cm/91 kg
College: Tohoku Fukushi University
Total wins: 8 wins in the Japan Golf Tour (including 1 major), 6 wins in the US PGA Tour (including 1 major)

Major achievements:
2010: 1st place in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
2011:  27th place in the Masters Tournament—the first Japanese low amateur to compete
1st place in the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour
2013: Won 4 Japan Golf Tour events and became the first rookie to top the Japan Tour money list
2014: 1st place in The Memorial Tournament
2016: 1st place in the Japan Open, his first Japan major victory
1st place in the Waste Management Phoenix Open
1st place in the WGC-HSBC Champions—the first Japanese player to win the World Golf Championship
2017: 1st place, retaining his title, in the Waste Management Phoenix Open
1st place in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
2021: 1st place in the Masters Tournament—the first Japanese male player to win a major championship