Hiroshi Tai (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photo)
Once he hits his first tee shot at Augusta National on Thursday, Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech will make history at the Masters Tournament.
Born in Hong Kong to a Singaporean father and a Japanese mother, Tai is the first to represent Singapore in the Tournament.
"Golf isn't a huge sport in Singapore, but it is pretty cool to be the first from your home country to do something," Tai said.
Tai had his Masters Tournament press conference on Monday, where he spoke on this as well.
“I think it’s pretty cool doing a press conference,” Tai said on Monday. “You don’t really do that in college golf very often.
"It means a lot to me because I’m obviously proud of where I’m from and have a lot of friends and family that live there,” Tai said. “My parents still live there.”
Tai earned his exemption into the Masters by winning the NCAA Division I Individual National Championship. However, because 2023 champion Fred Biondi of Florida turned pro before he could use his exemption, Tai did not realize his victory secured him a tee time at Augusta National.
"I didn't realize you get an exemption into the Masters or the U.S. Open," Tai said. "So, it wasn't really in my head when I was playing."
Tai added, "I was doing well, and everything kind of came together for those four rounds."
Tai knows how to win under pressure, as he held off some of the top amateurs in the world to win the NCAA championships. He finished 3-under, while Luke Clanton of Florida State, Jackson Koivun of Auburn, Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt, and Ben James of Virginia finished T2 at 2-under.
Clanton is the No. 1 ranked player in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, while James is ranked No. 3, Sargent won the 2022 NCAA individual championship, and Koivun was the national player of the year last year.
"I played well at ACCs and solid at regionals as well, so I was playing solid golf at the time. I liked the layout as well. The greens were firm, but good shots were rewarded, and the fairways weren't wide, but there were some tee shots that you had one side to miss.
Now, almost a year later, Tai comes to the Masters looking to regain that form.
"I haven't been playing great over the whole year," Tai said. "The scores make that pretty obvious. I am starting to pay a little bit better and hit the ball better, but I have been working on the putter and figuring out the driver."
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The Georgia Tech junior is familiar with Augusta National due to the practice rounds the team has played since it is only two hours away from campus. He also was roommates for two years with Christo Lamprecht, who played in the 2024 Masters and will be using his yardage book from last year.
He has also received advice from Georgia Tech alum Stewart Cink.
"I just want to keep getting better and playing better," Tai said about his approach to this week. "In the practice rounds, I want to get the speed of the greens and around the greens. And just getting comfortable with the environment as well."