PGA Tour star Hideki Matsuyama reveals robbery details: "It was all of a sudden"
PGA Tour star Hideki Matsuyama has told media exactly what happened after reports emerged the Japanese star was robbed after the Olympics.
Hideki Matsuyama says he's already forgotten about being robbed on his way to the FedEx St. Jude Championship after the Olympic Games.
The PGA Tour star and his team were robbed during a stopover in London while heading to TPC Southwind.
Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan that his wallet was stolen.
The passports and visas of his caddie Shota Hayato, and coach, Mikihito Kuromiya were also taken.
The duo have returned to Japan and hope to make it to the United States before the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake.
One prized possession that wasn't taken from the former Masters champion is the bronze medal he secured at Le Golf National.
Matsuyama fired an opening round of 65 on Thursday at the first of three playoff events on the PGA Tour.
Then he told reporters what happened.
"It was an unfortunate situation," he said.
"Luckily I only lost my wallet, but Shota, my caddie, and the coach, lost their passports, and we're trying hard now to get their visas back in [time], and hopefully we can join us as a team as soon as possible."
Matsuyama said he thinks his caddie will be able to make it to East Lake but his coach probably won't.
"We were just on our way back from Paris," he continued. "We were just going to spend one night in London, and it happened in downtown London.
"We didn't even know it happened. We were just having a friendly dinner, and Shota was the first one [to say], 'Hey, where is my bag?'
"Of course it was frustrating, but we really didn't know it happened. It was just kind of all of a sudden."
Matsuyama said the culprit just 'took it and ran'.
Taiga Tabuchi is filling in for Shota this week. He has previously looped for Ryo Hisatsune.
Matsuyama joked that Shota still has a job when he returns.
Of Tabuich, Matsuyama said: "I have a new caddie on the bag. Kind of reminded me of the first time Shota was on my bag.
"We kind of worked through a couple things. Really that was the main thing today is having teamwork with my caddie.
"[I am] playing well, and I don't know how Shota is going to take it, but we'll work that out."
Matsuyama was asked how he is not letting what happened affect him.
"My job is the same," he said. "It's just play golf."
"I've forgotten it completely. It's not even an issue now."
