“He just took it and ran” - Hideki Matsuyama details the experience of getting robbed in London
Following the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Hideki Matsuyama detailed the robbery incident that occurred in London last week. Calling it an unfortunate situation, he revealed that his caddie and coach lost their passports in the robbery.
On Thursday, August 15, Matsuyama carded a 5-under 65 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and finished tied for second, just one stroke behind the lead. He sank seven birdies on Day 1, but two bogeys cost him the first-round lead. This was his first round after being robbed in London last week.
During the post-round interview, Matsuyama shared details of the robbery, explaining that it happened on their return from Paris when they spent one night in London. Unfortunately, they were robbed in downtown London.
"He just took it and ran," he said.
Calling it an unfortunate situation, the 2021 Masters Tournament winner revealed that while he only lost his wallet, his caddie, Shota Hayato, and his coach, Mikihito Kuromiya, were the ones most affected by the incident and had to return to Japan to sort out their travel documents.
"My caddie, and my coach, lost their passports, and we're trying hard now to get their visas back in line, and hopefully they can join us as a team as soon as possible," he continued.
The Olympic bronze medalist added that he and his team didn't realize they had been robbed until his caddie noticed that his bag was missing.
Due to the unfortunate situation, Hideki Matsuyama is playing with a fill-in bagman, Taiga Tabuchi. However, Shota is expected to join him by the Tour Championship week, but the same can't be said about his coach.
"Shota will make it, I think, but my coach probably won't," he added.
When will Hideki Matsuyama tee off at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Round 2?
Hideki Matsuyama is paired with Sahith Theegala for the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The duo will tee off on Friday, August 16, at 10:25 am ET.
At 5-under, Hideki Matsuyama is one shot behind the leader, Chris Kirk, and is tied with Matthieu Pavon and Taylor Pendrith. Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Ben Griffin, Tommy Fleetwood, Brendon Todd, and Denny McCarthy are tied for fifth place, two strokes back.
The second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship will begin with Viktor Hovland and Erik van Rooyen teeing off at 8:20 am ET. Nick Dunlap and Jhonattan Vegas will be the last pair to resume play on Friday, teeing off at 2:15 pm ET.