Under the new Rules of Golf, had Matsuyama not used the offending club before being notified, he could have continued on. However, he used the 3-wood on his opening tee shot.
The same golf gods who ensured an historic first Masters Tournament triumph for Asia 12 months ago are now being called upon to ensure Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is fully fit to put up a worthy title defence this week.
The narrative predictably fades with time, and though we’re only six months removed from Hideki Matsyama’s historic win in the Masters, it’s probably already forgotten that the Japanese star was on the precipice of a monumental collapse at Augusta National.