Hideki Matsuyama denies rules issue that caused him to fall briefly during match finals FedEx St. Jude Championship, then he regained his composure to win.
Hideki Matsuyama won his 10th PGA Tour title last weekend at TPC Southwind.
The Japanese golfer led by five shots at the start of the final round, but that lead disappeared in four holes on the back nine.
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Matsuyama bogeyed the 12th hole, lost another stroke on the 14th and another on the 15th to fall one stroke behind.
The former Masters champion then made two clutch birdies to capture the $3.6 million top prize.
Matsuyama’s vacillation came as the golfer was informed that his actions on the par-4 seventh hole were being watched by tournament officials.
The 32-year-old used his foot to repair the ball mark outside the green.
But it was later determined to be far enough from his intended play route so he dodged a two-stroke penalty.
“If I was worried that I had done something wrong and would be penalized, I would be uneasy,” Matsuyama told Golf Channel.
“But it’s not really a problem, so it’s OK.”
Matsuyama Hideki
“Maybe that’s why I won this week.”
Matsuyama made headlines last week when he revealed he was robbed during a stop in London on his way to Memphis.
He said his wallet and the passports and visas of his caddie, Shota Hayato, and coach, Mikihito Kuromiya, were stolen.
“Maybe because of this [being robbed]”Well, I won this week,” Matsuyama joked to reporters.
Last week, Matsuyama replaced Shota with Daigo Tabuchi.
Tabuchi has worked for rookie Ryo Hisatsune, among others.
“I hadn’t spoken to him much before this week,” Matsuyama said.
“I knew he caddied for Ryo on tour earlier this year, so we played a few practice rounds together.”
He added: “He helped me a lot. He read a lot of putts for me and gave me a lot of good lines.”
Shota Matsuyama has confirmed that he will continue to serve as fielding officer at the BMW Championship.
It could also be argued that another reason Songshan performed so well last week was due to equipment changes.
Songshan is known for constantly trying new putters, but he almost never puts one in his bag.
That changed last week when he decided to try a different Scotty Cameron.
“I felt like I needed a change of pace and a refresh with my putting,” Matsuyama said.
“I think about the putts that I have, and I feel like — because I know this golf course. I know the greens.
“I thought this putter might work, and it did. I putted well, and I won.
“As to whether I’ll use it next week, we’ll see.”
