Hideki Matsuyama Shares Details Of How He And His Caddie Were Robbed In London

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Hideki Matsuyama and members of his team, including his caddie, were recently robbed in London during their trek to the United States following his bronze-medal performance in the Paris Olympics. The former Masters champion has since shared new details about the incident while also explaining that he's already put it in the rearview mirror.

Matsuyama revealed ahead of this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis that he, his caddie Shota Hayato, and coach Mikihito Kuromiya fell victim while at a restaurant during their quick stopover. While Matsuyama had his wallet stolen, his caddie and coach also had their visas and passports stolen, which has resulted in a legitimate life-changing moment, at least for a brief time, for all involved.

Matsuyama's coach and caddie were forced to return to Japan given that they are now without documentation and are rushing to have their passports and visas reissued so they can link back up with Matsuyama as soon as possible. Golf Digest Japan reported that the earliest Kuromiya and Hayato can travel to the United States would be just before the Tour Championship, the final event of the season, in two weeks.

Matsuyama proved that the unique circumstance isn't affecting him too harshly as he fired a first-round 65 on Thursday at TPC Southwind.

"I’ve forgotten it completely. It’s not even an issue now," Matsuyama said through an interpreter in Memphis. "It was an unfortunate situation."

Hideki Matsuyama Robbed Shortly After Winning Olympic Bronze Medal

Hideki Matsuyama was robbed in London after earning a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics just days prior. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

"We didn’t even know it happened," he said. "We were just having a friendly dinner, and Shota was the first one – ‘Hey, where is my bag?’ "Of course it was frustrating, but we really didn’t know it happened. It was just kind of all of a sudden. Yeah, he just took it and ran."

Based on Matsuyama's quick story, it sounds like they were simply sitting at a restaurant and someone ran past them, grabbed a bag, and took off in a sprint. You see these types of videos from all over the world these days, unfortunately. 

To have the bag holding your passport and visa stolen has to be among the worst traveling experiences one could ever imagine.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.