"What a stupid game we play" - Golf fans react as Hideki Matsuyama's failed bunker shot takes center stage at the 2023 Wyndham Championship
Japanese player Hideki Matsuyama had a tough moment during the second round of the Wyndham Championship. His ball got into a bunker and he couldn't get it out until after spending three shots, resulting in a double bogey.
The video has gone viral among golf fans, with almost 240,000 views in just two hours (taking only the official PGA Tour Twitter account as a reference).
We've all been there. pic.twitter.com/7wLWQz1rjj
The reactions to the video have been very diverse. Even Matsuyama's colleague Michael S. Kim, who is also playing in the Wyndham Championship, had time to say something about it.
Let's see some of the posts from Twitter users:
"What a stupid game we play"
@PGATOUR What a stupid game we play 🤦🏻♂️
"What’s even worse, is the shot he hit that went in the bunker was 1 foot from being perfect. 1 foot from perfect leads to that."
@heyjayhuffman @Mike_kim714 @PGATOUR What’s even worse, is the shot he hit that went in the bunker was 1 foot from being perfect..
1 foot from perfect leads to that.
@PGATOUR Tough scene
@PGATOUR Into your own footprint is the worst >.<
@PGATOUR Hate bunkers!
@PGATOUR The shot prior was the “root” of the pain.
@PGATOUR @TheJasonNewsome I feel better. Lol
The play occurred on the 544-yard, par-5 15th hole (the sixth hole for Matsuyama in the second round of the Wyndham Championship). The Japanese's first shot went cleanly to the fairway, but his second ended up in the right front greenside bunker. He only lacked an extra foot carry to reach the green.
The ball in the sand was a real problem for Matsuyama. It wasn't until his third strike from the sand and fifth in total that he made it out of there. He finally holed out with a double bogey.
Hideki Matsuyama at the 2023 Wyndham Championship
The Sedgefield Country Club at Greensboro, North Carolina, has not seen the best version of Hideki Matsuyama in this edition of the Wyndham Championship. The Japanese has been seen struggling with problems in his game throughout the entire event.
He finished the first round at T92 with a poor score of +1, with four bogeys and three birdies. On the second day, he has not been much better: at hole 15 he has hit three birdies and three bogeys, in addition to the aforementioned double bogey. He marches in T91 with a score of +2.
Moreover, he only has three holes left in the second round. Hence, it is unlikely that Matsuyama will be able to continue playing through the weekend. The cut line is projected at -1.
However, Hideki Matsuyama's presence at the FedEx Cup (at least in its initial event) is not in jeopardy. The Japanese is ranked 56th in the ranking, with 742 points. However, he only lacked 66 points to be included in the Top 50.
Matsuyama is closing a season of 22 events played, 19 cuts made, two Top 10 finishes as the best result, and earnings of over 3.5 million dollars. He is ranked 31st in the Official World Golf Ranking.