Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Matsuyama had an excellent round despite fighting through pain all day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Hideki Matsuyama shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday to tie for second place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It appeared to be a good day for him, but that was not the case.
After his round, Matsuyama explained how he felt sore after having a relatively strong start to the tournament. While his back didn’t affect his scoring ability, it raised issues in other areas.
“My leg is a little numb right now, so it’s really not the perfect condition,” Matsuyama said.
“My back was not feeling perfect, but I was hitting, protecting myself. I feel like I was able to keep the momentum from the previous tournament, so I think that really helped.”
The 2021 Masters champion withdrew from the Pro-Am on Wednesday, bringing up concerns that he may not be able to play the event.
However, he powered through on Thursday, recording five birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.
Matsuyama elaborated on his soreness to Yahoo Sports Japan.
“It hurts, but I’m glad I was able to play 18 holes,” he said.
“I often used shots that were not at full power. I thought the pain had gone away after the 9th hole, but by the time I finished, it was really sore again.”
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Getty Images
Hideki Matsuyama hits a tee shot on the 9th hole during the first round of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The 32-year-old has had injuries, including the nagging one with his neck that caused him to withdraw from the BMW Championship last year.
That exit ended his nine-straight Tour Championship appearances. He also had to withdraw from an event in November 2022 because of the injury.
Then, last month, Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational, shooting a final round 62 at Riviera Country Club to prevail by three. In his winners’ press conference, he said his neck had been “getting a lot better,” but he tweaked his back just a few weeks later.
Matsuyama may have gone low on Thursday, but his discomfort may lead to more trouble.
His day started with a birdie, and he added two more at the 4th and 5th to make the turn in 33 strokes. He went birdie-bogey-birdie on holes 9 through 12.
On the par-4 15th, his club caught the ball twice when he chipped from the greenside rough. However, this is not a penalty anymore. That rule changed in 2019, so the 9-time PGA Tour winner avoided losing more than the one shot he did by making a bogey.
Under the USGA rule 10.1a, “If the player’s club accidentally hits the ball more than once during a single stroke, there will be no penalty. The ball will be played as it lies.”
Matsuyama did not let that phase him as he made a 50-foot chip-in eagle on the 16th—the casual double-hit to chip-in that happens all the time.
Will this injury cause him to withdraw mid-tournament, or will he tough it out and try to play all four days? As of this writing, the Japanese golfer is still in the field for the second round.
Matsuyama tees off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday alongside Russell Henley.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
