PGA star Hideki Matsuyama saw a positive experience at the Paris Olympics immediately followed by a major negative after traveling from the event to his next tournament.
While Hideki Matsuyama was not able to get gold for Japan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the top-15 golfer did have a productive showing and was able to win a bronze medal for his country. It was the first medal the Land of the Rising Sun had won in golf.
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Matsuyama’s showing was a reason for him, his coach, and his caddie to celebrate. And they most likely did before the Olympics came to a close this past weekend. However, those good times were quickly cut short on Tuesday.
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Hideki Matsuyama’s bronze medal safe after being robbed in London
Golf Digest’s Japanese site broke the news on Wednesday that Matsuyama, his coach, and caddie were robbed in London while traveling to the United States for his next event, the FedEx St Jude Championship. The 12th ranked golfer in the world had his wallet stolen while his caddie Shota Hayato and coach Mikihito Kuromiya lost their passports.
Hayato and Kuromiya were forced to return to Japan to attain new passports. This means they will not be able to join him for the St. Jude Championship in Tennessee this week. Fortunately, despite the robbery, Hideki Matsuyama’s bronze medal was not one of the items stolen.
“I’m going to play golf as if I went back to the way I was before I had a coach,” Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan. “I feel like all the responsibility is on me. I’m looking forward to that for the first time in a while. I want to pass on to [his replacement caddie] what I’ve cultivated with Shota on the course.”
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