Despite withdrawing from the BMW Championship, Hideki Matsuyama goes into The Tour Championship as one of the favourites to win the FedEx Cup – with the Japanese star starting three shots behind Scottie Scheffler at East Lake.
The win at the St Jude Championship propelled Hideki Matsuyama up to third in the FedEx Cup standings, and the Olympic bronze medalist remained in that position on the podium even after withdrawing from the BMW Championship last week.
Matsuyama did not complete the event at Castle Pines due to a back injury, and obviously, with the incredibly quick turnaround during the FedEx Cup play-offs, there was likely to be a question mark over whether he would be involved at The Tour Championship.
Matsuyama has got some practice rounds under his belt at East Lake, but it would appear that the 32-year-old is not yet back to full fitness ahead of the finale on the PGA Tour this season.
What Hideki Matsuyama’s camp have said about the situation with his back injury ahead of The Tour Championship
Speaking on Golf Channel, broadcaster Todd Lewis suggested that there are still some concerns amongst those close to Matsuyama about his back issue.
“One of the key figures in the FedEx Cup play-offs, Hideki Matsuyama, who had that incredible victory in Memphis, played the BMW Championship last week, but withdrew during that tournament because of back issues, and there were concerns that he may not be able to compete here this week. Well, I can tell you that Hideki has been on the ground here at East Lake since Monday, he has played practice rounds, he’s continuing to work on his game, including right now, he’s trying to get ready for The Tour Championship, he’s on property,” he said.
“I have talked to his camp and they’ve said that his back is not 100 percent, but he’s still wanting and intending to give it a go here at The Tour Championship. Look, his back has been an issue basically over the last year and a half. According to his camp, he has some good days and he has some bad days, it comes and goes, and last week was one of those bad moments, so we will see how healthy Hideki Matsuyama is because he’s right in the mix. He’s in third position right now, three shots behind Scottie Scheffler.”
The most nervous man watching on at East Lake
Of course, there are plenty of storylines heading into this week, with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele the favourites to battle over the FedEx Cup. Meanwhile, it will be fascinating to see which player’s aggressive tactics pay off and see them emerge from the pack and put the leaders under real pressure.
But perhaps no one will be keeping their fingers more tightly crossed in the coming days than Mike Weir with the Presidents Cup less than a month away. Matsuyama is number one in the qualification standings for the International side and likely to play a crucial role in Montreal.
Matsuyama has a mixed record in the event, with 1.5 points coming in each of his three appearances in the States. However, he won 2.5 points both in South Korea in 2015 and Australia four years later.
If he is fit enough, he is surely one of the most likely players to play in all five matches in Canada. So Weir will be desperately hoping that his leading man comes through The Tour Championship largely unscathed.
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