Hideki Matsuyama dismisses rules controversy at PGA Tour event
Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama has reiterated the rules debate that transpired during the final round at TPC Southwind was 'a non-issue'.
Hideki Matsuyama has dismissed a rules issue contributed to his mini collapse during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship before he regained his composure to take the title.
Matsuyama claimed his 10th PGA Tour victory at TPC Southwind over the weekend.
The Japanese golfer began the final round with a five-stroke lead but that margin evaporated over the space of four holes on the back nine.
Related:
Matsuyama made bogey at the 12th, dropped another shot at the 14th and doubled the 15th to slip one stroke behind.
The former Masters champion then made two clutch, closing birdies to claim the top prize of $3,600,000.
Matsuyama's wobble coincided with the golfer being informed that his behaviour on the par-4 7th was being looked at by tournament officials.
The 32-year-old repaired a pitch mark off the green with his foot.
But it was later determined that it was far enough away from his intended line of play and therefore he dodged the two-stroke penalty.
Matsuyama told Golf Channel: "If I was worried that I had done something wrong and was going to be penalized, that would have rattled me
"But it was really a non-issue so it was fine."
"Maybe because of that, I won this week"
Matsuyama hit the headlines last week after he revealed that he was robbed during a stopover in London as he made his way to Memphis.
His wallet was stolen, he said, along with the passports and visas of his caddie, Shota Hayato, and his coach, Mikihito Kuromiya.
"Maybe because of that [being robbed], I won this week," Matsuyama joked to reporters.
Matsuyama had Taiga Tabuchi fill in for Shota last week.
Tabuchi has worked for the likes of rookie Ryo Hisatsune.
"I hadn't really spoken to him very much prior to this week," Matsuyama said.
"I knew he was caddying for Ryo on the Tour earlier in the year, so we did play some practice rounds together."
He added: "He was a great help to me. Helped me read a lot of putts. A lot of good lines that he gave me."
Matsuyama has confirmed Shota will be back on the bag at the BMW Championship.
It could also be suggested that another reason why Matsuyama performed so well last week was down to an equipment change.
Matsuyama is known for constantly trying out new putters but almost never puts one in the bag.
That changed last week when he decided to try out a different Scotty Cameron.
"I felt like I needed a change of pace, kind of a refresh with my putter," Matsuyama said.
"I thought about the putters I had, and I felt -- because I knew this course. I knew the condition of the greens.
"I thought this putter might work, and it did. I putted great, and I won.
"Whether or not I'll use it next week, we'll see."
Watched our latest YouTube video?
Ben joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
