DFS Players Furious With PGA Tour, Sportsbooks After Late Hideki Matsuyama WD At Wells Fargo

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The Wells Fargo Championship is taking place this weekend at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. It marks the sixth signature event in the PGA Tour season, with two left to go. Hideki Matsuyama was scheduled to compete, but withdrew just before his tee time.

This left Daily Fantasy Players (DFS) absolutely furious with the PGA Tour. There were no warning signs coming into the event that Matsuyama was dealing with an injury. He last played at The Masters in April, and finished that event without an issue. 

However, Thursday afternoon, Matsuyama pulled out of the Wells Fargo Championship citing a back injury. 

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) players were livid after Hideki Matsuyama withdrew late from the Wells Fargo Championship without any prior indication from the PGA Tour.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) players were livid after Hideki Matsuyama withdrew late from the Wells Fargo Championship without any prior indication from the PGA Tour.

(David Cannon/Getty Images)

For players who participate in DFS contests for the PGA Tour, this is one of the worst things that can happen. Unlike in the NFL, MLB or NBA – where players can swap injured players for players who have yet to start their game – PGA lineups lock as soon as the tournament starts. 

For any DFS player who selected Matsuyama, they just lost a spot with no chance to replace him. This makes no sense. There's no reason that players shouldn't be able to swap out Matsuyama for a golfer who hasn't yet teed off. 

The PGA Tour, like all other professional sports leagues in the United States, is partnered with several sportsbooks. They even have an official Daily Fantasy Sports partner, DraftKings. 

DFS players furious with late Hideki Matsuyama withdrawal from Wells Fargo Championship, one of the PGA Tour's signature events. 

As someone who frequents PGA Tour contests in DFS – mainly because tournaments last four days and that makes it more fun than other sports that generally only last for several hours – I can attest that the lineup lock is extremely frustrating. It's especially true for the PGA Tour because, unlike other sports, there aren't any required injury reports. 

Sure, sometimes players talk about dealing with certain injuries. But they're not required to do so. Because it's an individual sport, no one really needs another player's injury status. 

But with the proliferation of sports betting and daily fantasy, fans DO need this information. The lack of transparency regarding injuries falls on the PGA Tour. The lineup lock issue falls on the daily fantasy operators. 

There is plenty of blame to go around, and people on social media weren't shy about spreading it around. 

We'll see if this leads to any changes from either the PGA Tour or sportsbooks moving forward. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.