Matsuyama pockets £2.8m after winning PGA Tour event – days after London robbery

Hideki Matsuyama has ended a turbulent week by banking £2.8million after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship in dramatic fashion.

Matsuyama survived a late scare after dropping multiple shots on the back nine to win the tournament by two strokes on 17-under par.

It was revealed earlier in the week how the 32-year-old, who has now won ten times on the PGA Tour, was robbed during a layover in London after scooping an Olympic bronze medal.

The 2021 Masters champion was enjoying dinner at a restaurant in the English capital before he was due to fly to America for the tournament.

But he unfortunately had his wallet stolen, though his passport and Olympic medal were untouched.

However the same couldn’t be said for his caddie Shota Hayafuji and coach Mikihito Kuromiya who had their passports taken.

It left the pair unable to be beside Matsuyama at the PGA Tour event, which took place at TPC Southwind in Tennessee.

Speaking of the incident to the media on Thursday, Matsuyama said: “It was an unfortunate situation. Luckily I only lost my wallet.

“But Shota, my caddie, and [my] coach lost their passports, and we’re trying hard now to get their visas back in line, and hopefully we can join us as a team as soon as possible.”

Matsuyama had to draft in Taiga Tabuchi, who caddied for his compatriot Ryo Hisatsune, with the duo instantly achieving success together Stateside.

A level-par final round saw him finish on 17-under – two strokes ahead of runner-ups Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele.

Having once led by five strokes, Matsuyama suddenly found himself trailing Hovland by one stroke following a double bogey on the 15th hole.

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After four dropped shots in as many holes, Hovland then bogeyed to level up the scoring at -15, before Matsuyama birdied on the 17th to regain the lead.

And he left it until the 18th hole to find his first fairway from a tee shot on the back nine, where a final birdie saw him crowned winner of the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

In what was the first of the PGA Tour’s end-of-season play-offs, Matsuyama has advanced into next week’s BMW Championship in Colorado.

And he will be hoping to finish in the top 30 of that event in order to secure his spot in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

The big-money tournament takes place from August 29-September 1, with the winner to earn a record £19.3m.

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