Since gaining his card in 2014, Hideki Matsuyama has be a star name on the PGA Tour.
He has 11 wins to his name in America, including two Waste Management Phoenix Opens and a FedEx St. Jude Championship.
His most notable win, though, came at the Masters in 2021 where he edged out Will Zalatoris by one shot.
His caddie, Shota Hayafuji, was notably seen bowing to the pin on the final hole after his victory. The image went viral and he commended a lot of plaudits after such a beautiful mark of respect.
However, Hayafuji - who has been on the bag since 2019 - is not with Matsuyama for the Rocket Classic this week.
Hideki Matsuyama's caddie, Shota Hayafuji, removing his hat and bowing his head after returning the pin. Quite an image. pic.twitter.com/chUVA9XRTFApril 11, 2021
Due to visa issues, he was not able to be in Detroit, even though he was at the Travelers Championship last week.
The Japanese golfer has therefore called upon the help of a professional caddie called Mei Inui to be by his side. He has known her for a long time and she reportedly works in his office back in Japan.
Coincidentally, Matsuyama's wife's name is Mei. But, it has been confirmed that it is not his wife and is in fact a different person.
This is not the first time the pair have been on the course together either as she also caddied for him at the 2016 Hero World Challenge, where he won the tournament. That was his third success in a row at the time.
This is not a permanent switch and it is expected that Hayafuji will be back alongside Matsuyama once he has sorted his visa issues. The return date is so far unknown, though.
Hideki's regular caddie Shota is back home in Japan renewing his visa so he has Mei Inui on the bag. It's been clarified that she is NOT his wife but also caddied for him during his win at the 2016 Hero World Challenge and I'm told works in his office in Japan.June 26, 2025
He also missed the Japanese's FedEx Cup playoffs last year due to the pair and coach - Mikihito Kuromiya - being robbed in a restaurant in London, where he had his passport stolen.
That time around, the 32-year-old had Taiga Tabuchi by his side. Tabuchi previously worked with PGA Tour and DP World Tour pro, Ryo Hisatsune.
Since being appointed in 2019, the pair have enjoyed an incredibly successful time together. This includes his 2021 Masters win and five of his PGA Tour successes.
Although winning at the start of the season at The Sentry, Matsuyama has endured a fairly quiet campaign so far.
Other than that victory, he has failed to enter the top-10 of any tournament he has played and has missed the cut on three occasions.
He has started well at the Rocket Classic this week, though, shooting a six-under-par first round - four shots off the lead - thanks to a couple of late chip-ins down the stretch.
