Hideki Matsuyama Robbed During London Layover After Olympic Bronze Victory!

Having just clinched the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Hideki Matsuyama disclosed that he fell victim to robbery during a stopover in London en route to Memphis, Tennessee. Golf Digest Japan broke news of the occurrence, which centered on stolen possessions; these included Matsuyama’s wallet, his caddie Shota Hayato’s passports, and coach Mikihito Kuromiya’s visas.

Hideki Matsuyama’s London Setback: Stolen Items Impact Team

Despite facing a setback, Hideki Matsuyama successfully arrived in Memphis for the FedEx St. Jude Championship – the inaugural playoff event of the PGA Tour. Unfortunately, his caddie and coach were not as lucky as they had to go back to Japan to fast-track their travel documents replacement.

“There’s a chance they’ll make it to next week’s BMW Championship in Colorado, but we have to go into it thinking it’s close to zero,” Matsuyama shared with Golf Digest Japan. 

For the St. Jude Championship, Matsuyama is relying on Taiga Tabuchi, who usually caddies for Ryo Hisatune, to step in as his caddie. Reflecting on the challenge, Matsuyama remarked, “I’m going to play golf as if I went back to the way I was before I had a coach. I feel like all the responsibility is on me.”

Fortunately, the bronze medal he won at Le Golf National remains in Hideki Matsuyama’s possession, a small consolation after an otherwise unsettling ordeal.