In a wild turn of events, former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama has been disqualified from this week’s Memorial Tournament due to an illegal marking on one of his clubs.
“Hideki Matsuyama has been disqualified from the Memorial for a marking on his driver, the first DQ of his career, and that walk of shame he just took across the putting green back into the clubhouse was one of the sadder things I ever did see,” golf insider Dan Rapoport tweeted.
Hideki Matsuyama has been disqualified from the Memorial for a marking on his driver, the first DQ of his career, and that walk of shame he just took across the putting green back into the clubhouse was one of the sadder things I ever did see.
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 2, 2022
Matsuyama had entered the tournament as one of the favorites, making this turn of events even more shocking.
In a video, chief referee Steve Rintoul offered further explanation for why Matsuyama was disqualified from the Dublin, Ohio golf tournament.
Chief Referee Steve Rintoul explains the full context behind Matsuyama's DQ. pic.twitter.com/6Oio4BhhpV
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022
“Unfortunately, our committee learned right after Hideki has teed off that he may be carrying a club that would be nonconforming,” said Rintoul. “You could see…a substance has been applied to the face by a gentleman who works on Hideki’s clubs. The white paint that you see on the face there.
“Assistance with alignment by placing a small Sharpie mark on the face or a small Sharpie line on the face is certainly allowed, but what was done there with that substance, which is very much like a White-Out substance we would use at home, was a coating that was not only in the grooves but very thick along the face. And now he’s applied a substance to the face that renders the club non-conforming.”
By the time Matsuyama was contacted about the club, he was already on the fifth hole and long past the point of escaping without a disqualification.
Can't be sure, but this looks fishy. Hideki's 3 wood. pic.twitter.com/47EtwytvZc
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 2, 2022
It’s the first time that Matsuyama has been disqualified in his PGA career.
