LIV target Matsuyama quits PGA Tour event in bizarre fashion
It’s not likely to be Hideki Matsuyama’s last appearance as a PGA Tour player, but it was certainly interesting. George Cooper explains
It’s safe to say Hideki Matsuyama has had quite the rollercoaster week.
After at T68 finish at The Open, all the talk surrounding the Japanese superstar has been about LIV Golf, with unconfirmed rumours suggesting he would be unveiled as one of three new additions to the breakaway league alongside Henrik Stenson.
Well, to everyone’s surprise, the controversial switch never materialised. Not yet, anyway. Instead, Greg Norman got Charles Howell and Jason Kokrak, and Matsuyama rocked up to the 3M Open with the FedEx Cup Playoffs just around the corner.
The 2021 Masters champ then went on a full-on adventure on day one at TPC Twin Cities, dumping three in the water to card a treacherous quadruple bogey, bouncing back with a less relatable birdie, before then withdrawing due to injury.
OK, there’s a lot to take in there, so let’s start with what you came here for – the quadruple bogey. Approaching the par-5 18th – Matsuyama had started on the 10th – he sent his tee shot into the water on the right. He then took a drop before hacking it into the wet stuff once more, before repeating the process as he lost a whole sleeve of balls inside 10 minutes.
And he wasn’t finished there. After finally finding some dry land, Matsuyama required two drops after pitching against the grandstand, before then salvaging a quadruple bogey thanks to the most outrageous flop shot. Here’s how the disaster played out in all its relatable comfort…
Despite bouncing back with a birdie, Matsuyama bogeyed two more holes coming in before then withdrawing from the tournament due to a ‘sore wrist’…
Unsurprisingly, the withdrawal sparked further rumours that Matsuyama will now be heading off to LIV Golf, although whether this is true still remains to be seen.
Still, if his withdrawal is in anyway questionable, what about this from Robert Garrigus…
Yep, that’s one we can definitely relate to.
- RELATED: Matsuyama disqualified following equipment blunder
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George Cooper
A golf fanatic his entire life, George Cooper is NCG's man for all goings-on at the top level of the game, whether it's the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA or LIV Golf. He also looks after NCG's Twitter and Facebook accounts. George is a member of Woburn, but is not friends with Ian Poulter.
