HEDEKI MATSUYAMA ROBBED AT AIRPORT AFTER WINNING BRONZE AT OLYMPICS

Hideki Matsuyama won bronze at the Olympics earlier this month.
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The first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs begins Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., but Olympics bronze medalist Hideki Matsuyama will be without his regular caddie and coach.

Matsuyama told Japan Golf Digest they were robbed at the London airport while traveling back from the Olympic Games in Paris, France. Matsuyama said his wallet was stolen, while his caddie, Shota Hiyato, and coach, Mikhito Kuromiya, lost their passports and visas.

Hiyato and Kuromiya had to return to Japan to fix their passport issues. The second playoff stop is next week’s BMW Championship in Colorado, and it’s unclear if they’ll return in time.

Matsuyama told reporters he’s using Taiga Tabuchi this week, who is the regular caddie for Japanese pro Ryo Hisatsune.

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

Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, is ranked eighth in the FedEx Cup standings, meaning he’s in good shape to play the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake.

He shot a final-round 65 at Le Golf National outside of Paris on Aug. 4, which was good enough to secure the bronze medal by one stroke over Victor Perez. Matsuyama said his medal was not stolen.

Matsuyama is paired with Sahith Theegala for the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, going off at 1:35 p.m. ET on Thursday.

- Josh Berhow