Hideki Matsuyama said he understands why many in his home country want this summer's Tokyo Olympics canceled as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic but he hopes the event can still go forward.

The Masters champion said the United States is further along in its efforts to vaccinate people against the virus than in Japan, where only about 3.5% of its population of about 126 million has been vaccinated, according to a Reuters tracker.

"The virus is looked at a little bit differently in Japan than here in the United States," Matsuyama told reporters ahead of this week's PGA Championship in South Carolina.