Masters Champ Hideki Matsuyama DQ'ed From Memorial Over Paint On Club

PGA Tour star Hideki Matsuyama just got disqualified from the Memorial Tournament ... and it's all 'cause officials say he had too much paint on one of his clubs.

Tourney officials just announced the decision during the middle of the Masters champ's first round in Dublin, Ohio ... explaining the white marks that were put on his 3-wood's face to help him with his alignment were a no-no.

Players, according to PGA Tour senior tournament director Steve Rintoul, are allowed to have some markings on their clubs ... but the Wite-Out-like substance that was applied to Matsuyama's broke the rules.

"What was done there, with that substance ... was a coating that was not only in the grooves, but was very thick along the face," Rintoul said. "And now he's applied a substance to the face which renders the club non-conforming."

Rintoul said because Matsuyama used the wood on the first shot of the tournament's first hole, he was DQ'ed. He was 3-over par at the time he was informed of the decision.

The disqualification is the first of the 30-year-old's PGA Tour career.