stepping-stone

プロゴルファーの松山選手が米ツアーで初優勝を果たしました。16,17番ホールでは成績が悪くイライラする一幕もあったようですが，18番ホールでバーディを出し，見事優勝しました。松山選手はインタビューの中でこの結果を今後の自分のキャリアへの"stepping-stone"にしたいと語っております。SPACEALCで調べると「足がかり，踏み石」などという意味がありました。優勝を果たした時から，今後の将来を見通しており，すごいですね。（Ume）

Matsuyama wins Memorial in playoff

It was the first par he made on the 18th hole all week. Matsuyama became the first player to make birdie on the closing hole at Muirfield Village in four straight rounds.

"To win my first PGA Tour event is enough," Matsuyama said. "But to win it here at Mr. Nicklaus' course, it really gives me a lot of confidence now going on. And hopefully, I'll be able to use this week as a stepping-stone to further my career."

Matsuyama became the fourth Japanese player to win on the PGA Tour, the most recent being Ryuji Imada in the 2008 AT&T Classic. The Memorial, even with Woods out with a back injury, featured the strongest field of the year outside the Masters, World Golf Championships and The Players Championship.

"I'm really, really happy,'' Matsuyama said through his interpreter. "It's a dream come true to win at Mr. Nicklaus' course.''

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/11018207/hideki-matsuyama-beats-kevin-na-playoff-win-memorial