Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified from a PGA Tour event for the first time in his career on Thursday after illegal markings were discovered on the face of his club.
The 2021 Masters champion was three-over-par after passing the ninth hole of the Memorial Tournament when he was told his tournament was over. Organisers said images of Matsuyama's club face were shared online, and it was only after he had used it on the first tee that they learnt of the offence.
"Unfortunately our committee learned right after Hideki had teed off that he may be carrying a club that would be non-conforming," said PGA Tour senior tournament director Steve Rintoul on Thursday. "There is a substance that has been applied to the face by a gentleman that works on Hideki's clubs.
"Rule 4a(3) within the equipment rules speaks to applying a substance to the face could unduly affect the performance of a ball; the flight, the spin, all the performance of the ball."
It's understood players can have non-conforming clubs among their equipment—as long as they aren't used. The offending three wood was used as early as the first hole, however, rendering Matsuyama's round null and void.
Matsuyama was in a trio alongside Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed on the first day of the competition but only made it halfway through his round. Disqualification is of particular significance to Matsuyama, who collected the first of his eight PGA Tour wins to date at the Memorial in 2014.
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The 30-year-old was broached on the organisers' concerns earlier in the round but was told to keep playing while the facts were examined. It wasn't until the 10th tee that Matsuyama and his team were ordered to stand down.
"Those markings were placed there by his club guy to help with alignment," added Rintoul. "Assistance with alignment by placing a small Sharpie mark on the face or small Sharpie line on the face is certainly allowed.
"But what was done there with that substance which is very much like a whiteout substance we would use at home, was a coating that was not only in the grooves but was very thick along the face, and now he's applied a substance to the face, which renders the club non-conforming."
