"When will he realise the caddie isn't his problem?" - Fans react to Hideki Matsuyama's new caddie at Rocket Classic

Hideki Matsuyama’s caddie situation at the 2025 Rocket Classic has caused quite a bit of confusion among fans. When the Japanese golfer teed off on Thursday morning (June 26) at Detroit Golf Club, many believed his wife, Mei Matsuyama, was carrying his bag.

The confusion started because Matsuyama’s caddie for the week is also named Mei. But it’s not his wife. It’s Mei Inui, a professional caddie with experience on the tour. Given that Hideki’s wife shares the same first name, fans quickly assumed she had taken up caddie duties.

However, that wasn’t the case. Matsuyama’s manager clarified through TOUR Comms that it was not his wife on the bag. Mei Inui previously worked with Matsuyama during his win at the 2016 Hero World Challenge and stepped in this week due to a temporary change.

NUCLR Golf shared the news on X, captioning:

""#NEW: Hideki Matsuyama has a professional caddie named Mei on the bag for him at The Rocket Classic. Unclear why his caddie Shota is not with him after being on the bag at The Travelers."

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Fans quickly reacted with mixed opinions. One fan commented:

“When will he realise the caddie isn’t his problem?”

Another wrote:

“They seem to be working well together. Matsuyama just needs to make some putts.”

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With Matsuyama having a rough start to the tournament, fans debated whether the caddie change really matters.

A user said:

“I assume that the real story depends on who his caddy is at the Open Championship. Who seriously gives a monkeys about who caddies for him at the Rocket whatever tournament (apart from Hideki)?”

Another joked:

“He will fire her too.”

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And one simply said:

“Who cares?”

The reason for the switch is that Matsuyama’s longtime caddie, Shota Hayafuji, had to return to Japan to renew his visa, as reported by Japanese photographer J.J. Watanabe. Hayafuji is expected to rejoin Matsuyama for his next start.

This is Hideki Matsuyama’s 17th start of the season, following his T30 finish at 4-under-par at the Travelers Championship.

How is Hideki Matsuyama playing so far at the Rocket Classic?

Hideki Matsuyama has completed his front nine and is currently playing the back nine at the 2025 Rocket Classic.

He had a shaky start, opening with a bogey on the 1st hole and dropping another shot on the 3rd. However, he recovered well with birdies on the 5th and 7th holes, finishing the front nine at even-par 36. On the back nine, Matsuyama has shown further improvement. After making a birdie on the 12th hole, he followed it up with an impressive eagle on the par-4 13th and added another birdie on 14th.

Here’s Hideki Matsuyama’s hole-by-hole scorecard till the 14th hole for Round 1 at the 2025 Rocket Classic