Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified Thursday when officials determined he had too much paint on the face of his 3-wood that he was using for alignment.
It was the first time Matsuyama, who won the Memorial in 2014 for his first PGA Tour victory, had ever been disqualified on the PGA Tour.
Chief referee Steve Rintoul said rules officials were made aware of 10 small lines forming a circle on the face of his 3-wood. Matsuyama had just teed off at Muirfield Village and was approached on the second hole.
It's OK to have a non-conforming club in the bag as long as it hasn't been used. Matsuyama said he used it for his opening tee shot.
Rintoul said he met him on the fifth fairway to talk to the Japanese star and to take pictures of the club. He then brought in the USGA and the tour's equipment standards leader to make sure, and the result was disqualification.
The alignment aid was not at issue, rather the substance used to create the lines was thick enough that it could affect the flight of the ball.
