Hideki Matsuyama will not have a caddy, coach after his passports were stolen

Hideki Matsuyama will not have his usual caddy and swing coach with him at this week’s FedEx St. Louis tournament. Jude after a Japanese golfer and his team were robbed during a stopover in London.

After taking home the bronze medal in the men’s golf tournament at the Paris Olympics, Matsuyama stopped in London before flying to Memphis, Tennessee, site of this week’s PGA Tour event — the first leg of FedEx Cup qualifying.

Matsuyama told Golf Digest Japan that his wallet was stolen during the incident, but his passport and his recently won Olympic medal were not taken. His coach, Shota Hayato, and coach, Mikihito Kuromiya, had their passports and visas stolen.

Hayato and Kuromiya had to return to Japan, where they requested urgent documents to return to the US.

Top 50 FedEx St. Jude Championship will advance to the BMW Championship next week in Castle Rock, Colorado. The top 30 finishers from there will play in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Aug. 29-Sept. 1.

Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, is eighth in points this season.

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

Taiga Tabuchi, who plays for Japanese golfer Ryo Hisatsune, will be on Matsuyama’s bag at TPC Southwind this week, according to a list of caddies distributed by the PGA Tour on Wednesday.

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