The time Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified from PGA Tour event after bizarre situation with his fairway wood

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Hideki Matsuyama is probably the most talked about player on the PGA Tour at the moment after his record-breaking win at The Sentry.

Matsuyama broke the PGA Tour four-round scoring record at Kapalua, finishing 35-under-par, three shots clear of Collin Morikawa.

There’s been no rest for the Japanese star, however. Matsuyama is back in action at the Sony Open and is the red-hot favourite to make it back-to-back PGA Tour wins to start 2025.

The 32-year-old is three under after day one at Waiʻalae Country Club, three shots back of the lead. Despite the positive start, Matsuyama was involved in an incident on the 9th hole after his club hit an on-looking fan.

In fact, Matsuyama has been prone to the odd piece of controversy throughout his career.

What happened to Hideki Matsuyama at 2022 Memorial Tournament

During the 2022 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village – Jack Nicklaus’ prestigious event – Matsuyama was disqualified after a foreign substance was found in the middle of his three-wood.

Per legislation, paint on the clubface isn’t a valid means of disqualifying a player from an event, but this incident was slightly different.

The substance on Matsuyama’s club was felt above the face and out of the grooves, which was deemed non-conforming. As soon as the club was used in Ohio, the 2021 Masters champion faced disqualification.

Matsuyama was eventually ejected from the tournament on the 10th hole after first being alerted to the issue on the fifth tee box.

• READ MORE: Rory McIlroy reacts to Hideki Matsuyama breaking PGA Tour record amid criticism of The Sentry

What did the rules official say about Hideki Matsuyama’s disqualification

Steve Rintoul – PGA Tour senior tournament director – shed light on the incident midway through the first day’s play at Muirfield Village.

“I think after we talked about it in the fifth fairway, I’m not going to say he was expecting — it wasn’t as much a surprise as it would have been if it had been unknown,” Rintoul said.

“We told him we were looking at this; there was a problem with the stuff on the face. But our committee wanted to give Hideki all the due that he was deserved while we ascertained whether this club was non-conforming or not.”

It’s believed Matsuyama used the substance to help him with alignment, which isn’t an uncommon move from PGA Tour professionals.