Why doesn’t Hideki Matsuyama have his caddie and coach for FedEx St. Jude Championship?
The Japanese golfer faces a readjustment of sorts after seeing his caddie and coach return to Japan following an unfortunate event in a London airport.
After his success at the Olympics in Paris, the 2021 Masters winner was likely on a high as he made his way stateside for the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Sadly, that journey turned to a sense of loss after he and his caddie and coach found themselves in a situation that nobody should face and far less in an international airport.
Robbery of Hideki Matsuyama, caddie, and coach complicates things
Though he will be among those in the field when the FedEx St. Jude Championship tees off on Thursday, Hideki Matsuyama will be without his regular caddie and coach after the three of them were robbed at a London airport. The trio were en route to Memphis, Tennessee, following the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympic golf tournament in which Matsuyama won the bronze medal. Fans will be happy to know that Matsuyama’s bronze medal was not taken, however, his wallet was.
As for his caddie caddie Shota Hiyato and coach Mikhito Kuromiya, they lost their passports which is considerably more complicated. Indeed, both men were required to return to Japan to solve the missing passport issue which understandably made it impossible to be present for the tournament. It should also be noted that the pair will likely miss next week’s BMW Championship. Speaking to Japanese reporters and Japan Golf Digest at TPC Southwind where the FedEx St. Jude Championship will be staged, Matsuyama explained that he will rely on a substitute caddie.
“I’m going to play golf as if I went back to the way I was before I had a coach,” Matsuyama told the media in Memphis. “I feel like all the responsibility is on me.” Where is caddie is concerned, it’s understood that Matsuyama hired Taiga Tabuchi, the regular caddie for fellow Japanese tour pro Ryo Hisatsune, who will work in Hiyato’s absence. Hisatsune did not qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs. “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.” Having won the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, Matsuyama is now ranked 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking and eighth in the FedEx Cup standings.