It's Shocking That Hideki Matsuyama Didn't Use The Flagstick As A Javelin After This Greenside Bunker Debacle
Usually the angle for this sort of blog would be like, "SO RELATABLE" and yes, I'm sure all of us weekend warriors have left at least one, if not two or more, shots in the bunker. So to see a Masters champion in Hideki Matsuyama get totally fucked by the golf gods after all the fame and fortune the game has given to him — to be clear, he's earned it — makes everyone feel a little better.
But I would like to instead focus on commending Matsuyama for keeping his cool. Because I have no earthly idea how he did based on his history.
Look at how poorly Matsuyama reacts to this incredible package of quality golf shots:
The ball is 10 feet away from the pin or closer in many instances. He's driving poor Sir Nick Faldo nuts with this shit. I wonder if that's low-key the secret to golf. Act disgusted and maybe the ball will change course mid-flight to almost go in the damn hole.
Now granted, I haven't seen Matsuyama have a golf shot execution-based meltdown quite like taking three to get out of a trap like he did today. All I can go off of is what I've seen on the tube. More often than not, unless you're leading a tournament, the TV coverage will show you when you're doing well. It takes something extraordinarily bad to be aired if you're well out of contention. Like Ernie Els six-putting the first hole at Augusta, for instance.
Friday marked is one of those instances where Matsuyama did something bad enough to merit coverage despite being off the cut line during second-round action at the Wyndham Championship. It sucks enough to have your ball plugged up near the lip of the trap. To then have it roll back down to where you dug your feet in? WOOF. Awful break. But then Matsuyama left it in the bunker again and had to blast his way out.
From there, I thought the classic Happy Gilmore flagstick launch was in play, or worse!
Matsuyama calmly knocked the sand off the bottom of his shoes with his wedge and continued up to the putting surface as if nothing amiss had happened.
I don't know if I should be disappointed, impressed, some combination of both, or some other emotion I can't think of. In any event, Matsuyama won't be around for the Wyndham weekend. However, he's 56th in FedEx Cup points. That's plenty to get him inside the top-70 for the first leg of the playoffs at the St. Jude Championship next week in Memphis.
If anything, a missed cut at this relatively insignificant event will help Matsuyama better prepare for the postseason. Plus, he can spend more time in the sand than David Hasselhoff for the next two days to make sure those bunker shots are on point.
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PS: Check out Dan's Side Gig episode with Keegan Bradley: