PGA Tour golfer and Olympics medallist robbed at London airport with passport stolen just days before tournament
GOLF superstar Hideki Matsuyama reportedly had his passport stolen at a London airport just days after winning a medal at the Paris Olympics.
The Japanese PGA Tour ace stopped over in the UK as he flew from France to America for the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee.
Matsuyama finished third in the men’s stroke play at the Olympics, coming behind the USA’s Scottie Scheffler and Team GB’s Tommy Fleetwood.
But his journey to the States suffered a setback at an unspecified London airport.
Golf Digest Japan reports that Matsuyama’s passport was stolen, with caddie Shota Hayato and coach Mikihito Kuromiya also being robbed of their travel documents.
It forced the trio to abandon their flight to Memphis and instead return home to Japan to collect reissued passports.
Matsuyama has since jetted out to America for the latest PGA Tour event.
However, his team have not joined him, meaning Matsuyama will use a substitute caddie while going without a coach entirely.
And the 32-year-old, who won the 2021 Masters, is now hoping to get over his robbery shock with victory in Memphis.
He told Golf Digest Japan: “There’s a chance they (my team) will make it but we have to go into it thinking it’s close to zero.
“I’m going to play golf as if I went back to the way I was before I had a coach.
“I feel like all the responsibility is on me.
“I’m looking forward to that for a first time in a while.
“I want to pass on to (my new caddie) what I’ve cultivated on the course.”
Matsuyama has already won one PGA Tour event this year, storming to victory at the Genesis Invitational in February.
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