Pacific Palasides, CA …

Red-hot Hideki Matsuyma has warmed to thoughts of becoming the first golfer from Japan to be crowned World No. 1.

The current World No. 5 would go to the top of the rankings with victory in this week’s Genesis Open at the Riviera Golf Club near Santa Monica here on the California coast.

Matsuyama has been inside the top 25 in all three of his previous Genesis Open starts including a T4 in 2015 and he will tee-up in the $US 7.2m event having toasted victory in five of his last nine tournaments.

Where Hideki Matsuyama’s push to become World No. 1 kick-started and with victory in the 2016 WGC – HSBC Champions.

“It’s always been one of my goals and it would be a great goal to be able to achieve,” said Matsuyama.

“But whether it happens this week or next or sometime in the future, I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully that will happen.

“I know that it is a possibility but I can’t control what Jason does this week. All I can do is go out and try my best and hopefully things will fall into place.”

Prior to Matsuyama it had been legendary Isao Aoki keeping the Japan high on the world stage and reaching a peak when he finished second to Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 U.S. Open.  He ended that year ranked No. 3 in the then McCormack’s World Golf Rankings, and a position he would hold to the end of 1981.

However, it was not to the 1986 Masters that the Official World Golf Rankings came into effect and with Aoki enjoying a top-10 position for many weeks in 1987.