Hideki Matsuyama won’t have his regular caddie and swing coach at this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship after the Japanese golfer and his team were robbed during a stopover in London.
After capturing a bronze medal in the men’s golf competition at the Paris Olympics, Matsuyama stopped in London before flying to Memphis, Tennessee, the site of this week’s PGA Tour event — the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan that his wallet was stolen during the incident, but his passport and newly won Olympic medal weren’t taken. His caddie, Shota Hayato, and coach, Mikihito Kuromiya, had their passports and visas stolen.
Hayato and Kuromiya had to return to Japan, where they’ve asked for expedited documents to return to the U.S.
The top 50 finishers in the FedEx St. Jude Championship will advance to next week’s BMW Championship in Castle Rock, Colorado. The top 30 finishers from there will play in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Aug. 29-Sept. 1.
Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, is eighth in points this season.
“There’s a chance they’ll make it [to Colorado], but we have to go into it thinking it’s close to zero,” Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan.
Taiga Tabuchi, who caddies for Japanese golfer Ryo Hisatsune, will be on Matsuyama’s bag at TPC Southwind this week, according to the caddie list distributed by the PGA Tour on Wednesday.
“I’m glad he accepted,” Matsuyama said. “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.”