Hideki Matsuyama looks in good spirits while practicing for Memorial Tournament amidst injury concern

Hideki Matsuyama has had injury concerns crop up ahead of the Memorial Tournament this weekend (June 1-4).

The tournament has a $20 million prize purse, so it's in everyone's best interest to play and try their hardest to make the cut. Matsuyama's injuries, which ranged from back to neck as well as his wrist and ankle, seem to be at least cooperating enough for him to practice.

Despite the list of ailments he's currently suffering from, he was spotted on the course getting in some early practice ahead of Thursday's tee-off. Assuming all goes well in the week of practice, he very well could be back in the field on Thursday.

Matsuyama did not participate in last weekend's Charles Schwab Challenge. His last appearance was in the PGA Championship, where he finished T29 with a five over par showing.

The golfer won this tournament back in 2014, so he's looking to become a repeat champion this year if he can stay healthy enough.

Can Hideki Matsuyama win the Memorial Tournament?

Ahead of the tournament, Hideki Matsuyama has pretty decent odds of winning the whole thing. Based on Odds Shark's lines, it wouldn't be a huge upset for him to come away with the trophy:

Scottie Scheffler +600
Jon Rahm +750
Patrick Cantlay +1000
Rory McIlroy +1000
Xander Schauffele +1600
Viktor Hovland +2000
Collin Morikawa +2500
Justin Thomas +2500
Tyrrell Hatton +2500
Jason Day +3000
Cameron Young +3300
Sam Burns +3300
Corey Conners +4000
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Jordan Spieth +4000
Matt Fitzpatrick +4000
Rickie Fowler +4000
Sungjae Im +4000
Shane Lowry +4500
Adam Scott +5000
Sahith Theegala +5000
Si Woo Kim +5000
Tom Kim +5500
Keegan Bradley +6600
Russell Henley +6600
Wyndham Clark +6600
Billy Horschel +8000
Denny McCarthy +8000
Emiliano Grillo +8000

It's a very talented field and if the world number 25 golfer can stay healthy, he's as good a shot as anyone to compete this weekend.

Following his solo fifth-place finish at the Players Championship, however, Matsuyama has had a string of average performances.

He finished T15 at the Valero Texas Open, T16 at the Masters, T23 at the AT&T Byron Nelson, and T29 at the PGA Championship. He'll face tough competition in world number one Scottie Scheffler and the close second in Jon Rahm.

Rory McIlroy, recent victor Emiliano Grillo, Tom Kim, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, and others round out an incredibly deep field this weekend.

About the author

Zachary is a journalist covering NFL, Professional Golf, esports, and Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda. He has a degree in writing/editing from Southern Adventist University (USA), and in his spare time, he likes to play games such as Minecraft, Pokémon and Fortnite, or watch sports.

Ever since he was a youth football wide receiver, Zachary has been an avid NFL fan. He loves the Carolina Panthers, with Cam Newton being his all-time favorite player (with respect to the close second, Steve Smith). If you ever meet Zachary, prepare to hear all about how underrated Newton was and how he single-handedly dragged the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

Zachary is also a big fan of top golfers like Tiger Woods, Wyndham Clark, and Scottie Scheffler. He enjoys watching them and hopes that Woods can return to form soon and win again.

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Edited by Aditya Singh