Can Matsuyama overcome his neck and back pain at Augusta?

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Hideki Matsuyama has not been medically cleared in the available information, but he plans to play the Masters despite neck and back pain.
Matsuyama withdrew from THE PLAYERS Championship in early March and the Valero Texas Open last week because of a troubling neck and back injury. He said he pulled out of Texas to preserve his body and focus his energy on returning to Augusta National, and it was framed as a certainty that he will tee it up as the reigning Masters champion and compete through any pain until he can no longer endure. The key uncertainty presented is whether he is “100 per cent fit,” and no definitive outcome about his pain levels or performance at Augusta is provided.
He missed two events with a neck and back injury before Augusta
The timeline in the coverage is specific: Matsuyama did not play THE PLAYERS Championship in early March and then withdrew again from the Valero Texas Open last week. Both withdrawals were attributed to a troubling neck and back injury, meaning he entered the lead-up to Augusta without those latest competitive starts.
His stated goal is to return to Augusta National and compete through pain
After his Texas withdrawal, Matsuyama’s position was that he was preserving his body and directing his focus toward his return to Augusta National. The coverage also says there is a certainty he will tee it up as the reigning Masters champion and compete through any pain barrier until he can no longer endure, even while the question of whether he is “100 per cent fit” remains open.
The coverage does not confirm fitness or results at Augusta
While it frames a strong likelihood that he will play, it does not provide a medical confirmation that he can fully overcome the injury or be pain-free at Augusta. It also does not report any practice-week status in terms of improvement, nor does it give any performance result from Augusta itself, so the information stops short of answering whether he can overcome the pain in competition.
Past Masters form is cited, but current injury status is the main uncertainty
The material points back to his prior Masters run, including rounds of 69 and 71 and a weekend push after a weather break, with quotes from Abraham Ancer and Xander Schauffele describing his play during that earlier tournament. However, this does not establish how his neck and back pain will affect him this week, where the only clearly stated unknown is whether he is “100 per cent fit.”

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Can Matsuyama overcome his neck and back pain at Augusta?

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