Hideki Matsuyama's caddie set for extended spell on sidelines

Hideki Matsuyama will continue his FedEx Cup Playoffs campaign with Taiga Tabuchi on the bag after his regular caddie Shota Hayafuji has been ruled out with a neck injury and is now expected to be out until October. 

The news was confirmed to Golfweek ahead of this week's BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in Missouri. 

Matsuyama's long-time manager and interpreter, Bob Turner, told the publication that Hayafuji is dealing with a herniated disc in his neck.

The injury has also caused pain to spread into Hayafuji's right shoulder and arm, with the problem expected to keep him away from Matsuyama's bag for the remainder of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and likely until the Baycurrent Classic on home soil in October. 

Tabuchi is not an unfamiliar presence for the PGA Tour star, having worked with the 34-year-old for the past three tournaments. 

He will now continue to caddie for Matsuyama through the remainder of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, including next week's season-ending Tour Championship, and highly likely also at the Presidents Cup at the end of September. 

The decision to stick with Tabuchi for the time being means Matsuyama will not have to adjust to an entirely new caddie at a crucial stage of the season. 

Hayafuji, who has been on Matsuyama's bag since 2019, had already been sharing caddying duties with Tabuchi recently following the birth of his child. 

His latest injury, however, means his absence will now be much longer than expected. 

The extent of the problem became apparent when Hayafuji was preparing to return at the Wyndham Championship earlier this month. 

Turner told Golfweek that Hayafuji contacted him to say he was unable to make a fist with his right hand.

Hayafuji is targeting a return to Matsuyama's bag at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan from October 8-11. 

The injury is expected to keep Hayafuji away for the Presidents Cup at Medinah from September 24-27, where Matsuyama will represent the Internationals for a seventh straight time. 

Hayafuji went viral for bowing to the 18th hole at Augusta National when Matsuyama won The Masters in 2021. 

Hideki on hot streak

The absence of Hayafuji has certainly not stopped Matsuyama from playing some terrific golf of late. 

The 2021 Masters champion has recorded six consecutive top-15 finishes, including four finishes inside the top seven. 

His recent stretch includes a tied third at the 3M Open, a tied fifth at the Rocket Classic, a tied seventh at the Wyndham Championship and another tied seventh at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Matsuyama has also made the cut in all 21 of his starts on the PGA Tour in 2026. 

His recent hot streak has seen him surge to 15th in the FedEx Cup standings, and safely through to both this week's BMW Championship and next week's Tour Championship. 

When Matsuyama competes at East Lake next week, he will have played seven straight weeks on the road. 

That is an unusually demanding schedule on the PGA Tour, where players will typically take a break after three or four weeks of competition.

Despite Matsuyama's impressive run of recent form, the 11-time PGA Tour winner has not registered a win since The Sentry in January 2025. 

On recent evidence, providing he's not suffering from burnout, the winless run could be about to end very soon.