Shigeki Maruyama is a key figure behind the scenes of the 2024 Presidents Cup.
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MONTREAL – In Presidents Cup The International Team is constantly reminded of one thing: They never win this event.
Almost never, then.
But, in fact, it can be done. Need proof? It’s over there in the locker room. He is there in the locker room. A 5-foot-7, Presidents Cup-winning, undefeated legend. And he just might be the International Team’s secret weapon this time around.
First, a trip back in time. It was 1998 and it was his third time playing in the Presidents Cup, now making his first trip outside the United States. of Australia Royal Melbourne as host, 22-year-old world No. 1 Tiger Woods made his event debut for the USA and Jack Nicklaus captained the team. The rest of the American roster also stacked up: World No. 2 Mark O’Meara, No. 3 David Duval, No. 4 Davis Love III, No. 10 Phil Mickelson, No. 11 Fred Couples – you get the idea.
But then something funny happened: the international team, coached by Peter Thomson, won the first three games and never looked back. They gave Americans a joke, unprecedented before and unmatched since. Their unlikely leader that week? Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama, who entered the week as a top talent from the Japan tour but a relative unknown on the international stage; he was an event novice and world No. 43, lower than the lowest-ranked American. No matter: He teamed up with two of the lower-ranked players in the field and went undefeated, 5-0-0, defeating some of the biggest names in the game en route to a perfect week.
Maruyama’s dominant run began that Friday morning (the competition was only three days old at the time) alongside fours partner Craig Parry, the Aussie and world number 53. Both downed Lee Janzen and Scott Hoch 3&2. That afternoon Maruyama played four-ball with compatriot Joe Ozaki (World No. 55, brother of the more famous Jumbo Ozaki) and beat Mark Calcavecchia and John Huston 4&3 .The Internationals opened up a 7-3 lead.
On Saturday, Maruyama and Parry were up against a star-studded American pairing of Woods and Couples, who only managed to force Maruyama to bogey on the 18th hole – but the international team still won, 1 up, as part of a 4.5-0.5 handicap in the session that all but put the Cup to bed. That afternoon, Maruyama and Ozaki faced the Americans’ other top partnership, Duval and Mickelson. Again they walked away with a 1 lead win and Maruyama left with the winning smile that gave him his nickname: “The Smiling Killer”.
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On Sunday, Maruyama finished his week by holding off Huston with a 3-and-2 victory, capping a performance that remains historic for many reasons. Maruyama’s 5-0-0 record was the first for an international player; only one player (Branden Grace in 2015) has matched that since. And 1998 remains the only win for the international team, which is particularly notable because it came in a nine-point deficit 20.5-11.5.
“Since I was a rookie and every American player was a superstar, I wasn’t afraid of the matches,” Maruyama said. the last interview with China Daily. He also recalled how Thomson had urged them to keep spirits high throughout the competition. “I was also smiling a lot and shouting ‘wow!’ to inspire the team,” added Maruyama.
“After the event was over, I thought it would be funny to show off, and I remember putting the cup on my head and screaming with joy.”
What followed is arguably the iconic photo of that victory.
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But two and a half decades of futility have followed. The international side won a tie in 2003 but have lost nine in a row since then; an American win at Royal Montreal this week would make it 10. Maruyama played just one more Cup; he went 1-2-0 as part of a losing effort at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 2000. But his .750 winning percentage remains the highest of any international player to play multiple events.
And now he’s back.
MARUYAMA sat in silence at the end of the assistant captains’ press conference Wednesday afternoon at Royal Montreal, the oldest of the nine men on stage. Fellow reliever Ernie Els, who went 3-1-1 as part of that 1998 team, recalled their holiday party, how it stretched from the blackjack table to the plane, and how lucky he was to be allowed on. at all. Furyk, who was on the losing side as a Presidents Cup rookie that week, is the US captain this week. For the twentysomethings who make up this week’s teams, that victory may seem like ancient history, but it hasn’t faded from the collective memory of the President’s Cup. Not just yet.
Maruyama was excited as a reporter asked him a question for the first time. Had he managed to share any stories with the team so far? Any wisdom? Had he managed to settle for that 5-0-0 week? He nodded and then delivered a long, thoughtful monologue in Japanese to the assembled (mostly English-speaking) media. Fellow assistant Camilo Villegas leaned on his microphone as Maruyama finished his remarks.
“You get all of these?” he added, drawing laughter.
A translator relayed Maruyama’s remarks. “I haven’t had a good chance to talk to all these guys about that experience just because my English isn’t that fluent, so it’s hard to communicate,” he said. “I learned a lot of things that week and I learned that my game can translate to the world, worldwide, too, not just in Japan. If some of these guys want to talk about it or anything else, I’m always open to it and we can discuss it in more depth. I would like to help the team in any way I can.”
Maruyama’s role is different at this point in his life; he has long since moved on from a playing career. He won three times on the PGA Tour – in 2001, 2002 and 2003 – but lost full status after the 2008 season and returned to play more often in Japan. The 2012 season was the last in which he played more than a handful of events; 2016 was the last time he entered it in any OWGR sanctioned competition. But that doesn’t mean he quit golf; Maruyama remained involved behind the scenes and re-emerged this summer as the head coach of Team Japan at the Olympics, where one of his players, Hideki Matsuyama, won the bronze medal.
(Maruyama also took a photo with longtime admirer Tommy Fleetwood, who called him one of his “childhood heroes”.)
A month later, the international team announced that captain Mike Weir was bringing Maruyama on board as the final member of his staff, in part because of the positive rapport with the team’s sole Japanese representative.
“Mike (Weir) felt that Hideki was a little different from the usual Hideki he was familiar with (in Paris),” Maruyama said. China Dailyexplaining what he brings to the team. “During practice, we tried to keep things light and fun, without getting in the way of Hideki. We were laughing and having a good time.
“Seeing Hideki laughing like that was unusual for Mike, so he mentioned that my presence was probably significant.”
Unlocking Matsuyama could be pivotal in the team’s efforts to end its losing streak. He enters as their highest-ranked player at World No.7 – and with plenty of pressure on his shoulders.
“He’s very good, and you know, we’re going to lean on him this week,” said Adam Scott, the team’s longest-tenured veteran. “We need him to score. We need our best player to score points.”
Scott couldn’t help but smile when asked about Maruyama as well.
“Yeah, well, he’s quite the personality. You know, he’s a smile for us,” he said. “You know, he’s a great addition, obviously, for Hideki. But also for me, and generally a positive person, and that’s what you want during this week.”
Weir also talked about the addition of Maruyama.
“Hideki is wonderful. He is one of our leaders for sure. And having Shigeki here, who was key in 1998, going 5-0 as a rookie to win. Seeing him, we competed against Shigeki for many years, and to see his face again has been great for us,” Weir said Tuesday.
“He’s just a great character. I think it brings a smile to Hideki’s face. He has been the only Japanese player here for all the times he has played. He might have someone from his team with him, but he didn’t have a teammate. There were no two Japanese at the same time for him. So having Shigeki here for him is great. He has been fantastic in the team room.
“Everyone knows who Shigeki is,” Weir concluded. “Even young people know who he is. We showed them videos – in Australia they obviously called it the ‘Smiling Killer’ at the time. He’s a light hearted and fun guy to play against.”
A light-hearted guy with a winning resume? Not a bad example for the rest of the dressing room to follow.
“Oh, we let the guys know in the locker room,” fellow reliever Trevor Immelman said. “He’s been absolutely talked about this week.”
