Turbulent Times For Hideki Matsuyama After Abrupt End at Memorial

Hideki Matsuyama’s week at Muirfield Village ended early after he was Disqualified on Thursday.

It has been a rough ride recently for Japanese golfing sensation Hideki Matsuyama and this week at the 2022 Memorial Tournament things did not get any better.

Matsuyama was halfway through his first round on Thursday when he was Disqualified due to a ‘non-conforming club’ violation.

Hideki, who won the Memorial Tournament in 2014, finished his front nine with a double-bogey and a bogey on the card and was about to make the turn at three-over-par when he was notified that he had been DQ’d.

After starting the season in spectacular fashion with two wins at both the ZOZO Championship in his homeland and the Sony Open in Hawaii this past January, things have soured a bit for Hideki in recent months.

Turbulent times for Hideki Matsuyama

The 12th-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings had dealt with a lingering neck issue over the past several months, one that forced him to withdraw from the Valero Texas Open in late March/early April and put his defense of the green jacket in jeopardy.

Thankfully for the 2021 Masters winner, he was able to compete at Augusta National this year where he put in a solid defense of his title on route to a T14 finish.

Hideki would miss the next four events following the Masters as he attempted to recover from the nagging injury. He then made his return at the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson last month where he put in another excellent display on his way to a 3rd place finish.

A trip to Southern Hills for the PGA Championship was next on the agenda for the 30-year-old Hideki. Rounds of 72, 72, 72, and 73 prevented him from truly contending in the year’s second Major Championship. Nonetheless, he managed to make the cut in difficult conditions and was able to complete another four rounds of competitive action.

Matsuyama then took the week off last week before making his way to Muirfield Village this week.

This will not be the finish to the week that the Japanese star would have been hoping for as he looks to get back in the groove of things.

It remains to be seen if Hideki Matsuyama will play next week as the PGA travels north to Canada for the first time since 2019. With the U.S. Open in two weeks’ time perhaps he should.