Hideki Matsuyama has withdrawn from the BMW Championship before getting his second round underway, citing a back injury. The 10-time PGA Tour winner took first place at last week's FedEx St. Jude Championship — the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Here's the latest on Hideki Matsuyama.
Hideki Matsuyama withdraws from BMW
Matsuyama fired a 5-under 67 at Castle Springs Golf Club in Round 1, placing him firmly in contention. He missed a makeable birdie putt on No. 18, but otherwise rode his hot putter from Memphis to Colorado.
However, that putt on 18 came after a 3 hour and 10 minute weather delay. Play was suspended due to lightning in the area as Matsuyama was lining up his approach. (Rory McIlroy was standing on top of his putt on the 18th green when the horn blew.) Matsuyama stuck his approach to two feet and made par.
Evidently, he woke up Friday feeling unable to continue.
“I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship after experiencing lower back discomfort while warming up this morning, which made it impossible to play today.,” Matsuyama wrote in a statement. “Thank you to BMW and the Western Golf Association for a great experience here at Castle Pines.”
Matsuyama has dealt with nagging back and neck injuries for the past few years. His historic victory at the Genesis Invitational in February was his first PGA Tour win since 2022.
Ironically, it was the back of a different Masters champ was cause for concern on Thursday in Colorado. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler — who has repeatedly signaled a lukewarm interest, at best, in the FedEx Cup Playoffs system — tweaked his back during his BMW round. Scheffler acknowledged but downplayed the injury afterward, and is back on the course on Friday.
At time of writing, Adam Scott (-11) leads the 50-person field midway through Round 2.
Thanks to his St. Jude triumph, Matsuyama currently sits third in the FedEx Cup points race. The final leg of the PGA Tour's postseason, the Tour Championship — which deploys a staggered stroke scoring system that offers built-in advantages based on points — tees off Aug. 29 at East Lake.
Matsuyama's victory in Memphis came days after he was robbed in London, forcing his regular caddie and swing coach to miss the St. Jude and BMW as they went back to Japan to regain travel documents. Matsuyama has been working with Taiga Tabuchi, who typically caddies for Ryo Hisatsune.
Fortunately, the bronze medal Matsuyama won at the Paris Olympics was not taken.
Matsuyama is expected to be a key participant of the 2024 Presidents Cup, when Team International will face off against the United States on Sept. 26-29, at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Follow Us
Subscribe
