Hideki Matsuyama was not at all disturbed by the wild circumstances.
Shortly after winning a bronze medal in Paris two weeks ago, he, his caddy and his coach were robbed at a London airport on their way to the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Both Matsuyama’s caddy and his coach were forced to return to Japan after their passports were stolen and were unable to travel to the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
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Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama prepares a putt on the ninth green during the final round of the St. Jude Championship on August 18, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
No problem. Matsuyama won the tournament, his first victory in more than two and a half years.
On the final hole, Matsuyama needed a par or better to win with a one-shot lead; a bogey would have put him in a three-way playoff with Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland.
But after finding the fairway on 18, he smashed his fairway shot just six feet from the hole for a birdie to win the tournament by two shots. He also birdied 17 to break his tie with Schauffele and Hovland, last year’s FedEx Cup winner.
Matsuyama improved from eighth to third place in the FedEx Cup rankings.
Matsuyama’s wallet was stolen at the airport. Fortunately, no one took his Olympic medal.
After the incident, Matsuyama said he felt like “all the responsibility was on me.” Well, he certainly didn’t look like he had any more weight on his shoulders.
Hideki Matsuyama tees off on the first hole during the final round of the St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee on August 18, 2024. (Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal/USA TODAY NETWORK)
It was not an easy finish for Matsuyama, however, as he finished the day at even par (he was -17 for the tournament). Schauffele didn’t seem to have much of a chance at the start of the day, but the two-time major winner shot a 63 to put him in the lead. But it wasn’t enough.
Nick Dunlap shot par on his 72nd hole to secure a spot in next week’s BMW Championship, which is open to the top 50 in the Cup standings. However, Dunlap’s par knocked Tom Kim out of contention, who is now 51st, having started the weekend in 43rd place.
With his second place, Hovland was able to gain 41 places and is now in the race for next week.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama chips onto the seventh green during the final round of the St. Jude Championship on August 18, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
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Scottie Scheffler leads everyone with almost 1,500 points.
The BMW Championship takes place at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado.
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