Hideki Matsuyama ROBBED in London airport

Hideki Matsuyama and members of his inner circle have reportedly been victims of a robbery at a London airport.

According to Golf Digest Japan, the former Masters champion’s wallet was stolen along with passports belonging to his caddie Shota Hayato and coach Mikihito Kuromiya during a layover in the capital.

The group was en route to Memphis, Tennessee, for this week FedEx St Jude Championship, the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Matsuyama’s Olympic bronze medal – won at Le Golf National during the Paris Games just over a week ago – was not amongst the stolen items.

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It is understood that Hayato and Kuromiya have returned to Japan to request new expedited documents that will allow them to return to the United States, hopefully in time for next week’s BMW Championship at Castle Rock, Colorado.

“There’s a chance they’ll make it [to Colorado], but we have to go into it thinking it’s close to zero,” Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan.

“I’m going to play golf as if I went back to the way I was before I had a coach. I feel like all the responsibility is on me.

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Taiga Tabuchi, who caddies for Matsuyama’s fellow Japanese golfer Ryo Hisatsune, will deputise for Hayato at TPC Southwind this week.

“I’m glad he accepted,” Matsuyama said. “He’s worked with Hisatsune this year, so I think he knows the ropes, and he can speak English, so I can rely on him.

“I want to pass on to him what I’ve cultivated with Shota on the course.”

Matsuyama enters this week ranked eighth on the FedEx Cup standings. The top-50 after this week will advance to the BMW Championship, with the top-30 at the end of that tournament going forward to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta later this month.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor