Hideki Matsuyama ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. | Photo by James Gilbert/PGA Tour via Getty Images
Hideki Matsuyama, his caddie, and coach were on the wrong end of a robbery in the United Kingdom after the Paris Olympics.
Hideki Matsuyama has had a stressful few days.
After winning the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris, Matsuyama, his caddie Shota Hayato, and his coach Mikihito Kuromiya were on the wrong end of a robbery in London—stopping in the United Kingdom before heading to Memphis. Burglars stole Matsuyama’s wallet, but luckily, his passport and newly awarded medal were salvaged. The same cannot be said for Hayato and Kuromiya, however, as the thieves stole their passports, meaning that Matsuyama’s team had no choice but to return to their native Japan, per Golf Digest Japan.
That will leave Matsuyama without his looper and coach at this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, the first event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.
But in all likelihood, the 2021 Masters winner will not have his team by his side through the season-ending Tour Championship, which begins on Thursday, Aug 29.
“There’s a chance they’ll make it, but we have to go into it thinking it’s close to zero,” Matsuyama said to Golf Digest Japan in his native language.
Hayato and Kuromiya have submitted rush requests to obtain new passports and visas for entry into the United States. But those pleas will likely lead them to miss the FedEx Cup Playoffs altogether.
Matsuyama arrives in Memphis ranked eighth in the FedEx Cup standings, meaning he has plenty of wiggle room to make it to East Lake. The top 30 players after next week’s BMW Championship—the second of the three playoff events—qualify for the Tour Championship.
For the time being, Matsuyama has pegged Taiga Tabuchi to loop during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Tabuchi caddied for Ryo Histasune throughout the 2024 season, but Histasune missed out on the playoffs. He finished 84th, which opened the door for Tabuchi to grab Matsuyama’s bag for the stretch run.
“I’m glad he accepted,” Matsuyama said of his temporary caddy.
“He’s worked with Hisatsune this year, so I think he knows the ropes, and he can speak English, so I can rely on him.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
