Hideki Matsuyama has been making bunker play look easy for late. He did so again on No. 7 during the final round at the Tour Championship on Sunday at East Lake Golf Club.
Matsuyama bombed a drive 315 yards, pulled an iron a little into a greenside bunker and then holed out from the sand. As of 1 p.m. ET, the 2021 Masters champion is in the top 20 at 1 under for the day and 5 under for the tournament.
It’s been a quietly superior stretch of play for the Matsuyama of late, as he’s finished in the top 15 in six of his last seven starts.
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Incredibly, it’s been different pieces of his game that have seemed to step up at various moments. Matsuyama is not in the top 20 in any of the major Strokes Gaines stats, aside from Approach to Green, and even that one he only places 17th.
Still Matsuyama has made the cut in all 22 of his starts and has amassed more than $5.6 million in season earnings, heading into the Tour Championship.
Aug 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Hideki Matsuyama on the first hole during the second round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Also, as our Adam Schupak reported earlier, Matsuyama has been without longtime caddie Shota Hayafuji for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Hayafuji, who has been on Matsuyama’s bag since 2019 and became a beloved figure in golf after his respectful bow to Augusta National following Matsuyama’s historic 2021 Masters victory, is sidelined with a herniated disk in his neck, according to Matsuyama’s longtime manager and interpreter, Bob Turner.
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In his absence, Taiga Tabuchi will continue carrying the bag. The two had already been sharing caddie duties for much of the season after Hayafuji and his wife welcomed a baby earlier this year.
The latest setback, however, is far more serious. Turner said the neck injury has caused pain extending down Hayafuji’s right shoulder and arm. He had targeted a return at the Wyndham Championship but called Turner beforehand to report the condition had worsened to the point he could not even make a fist with his right hand.
Faced with those circumstances, Matsuyama told Hayafuji to take the rest of the season off. The extended leave is expected to keep him out through the Presidents Cup at Medinah No. 3 outside Chicago, where Matsuyama is all but certain to represent the International Team once again.
For now, one of golf’s most recognizable player-caddie partnerships will be put on hold as Hayafuji focuses on recovery.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Hideki Matsuyama holes out from bunker at Tour Championship, continuing run
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