Hideki Matsuyama complained of soreness in his hip and cut short his pre-tournament round held a day before the Northern Trust Wednesday, but said it won't stop him from taking part in the first of four events in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Matsuyama said he feels "refreshed" having had two weeks to recover from the heartbreak of missing a first major title at the PGA Championship, but the world No. 2 admitted there is a slight injury concern as he pulled out of the pro-am event after nine holes.

"I feel a little pain so I'm going to rest just to be safe," said Matsuyama, who had a full week off after finishing fifth in the season's final major.

With three wins this season, Matsuyama sits atop the FedEx standings with 2,869 points, 180 points ahead of Justin Thomas and 198 points ahead of Jordan Spieth, his two playing partners for the qualifying rounds at Northern Trust.

"I hope to stick to my own game. The rough is deep but the fairway is wide. The key will be the undulation of the greens," said Matsuyama, who will be playing at the 7,346-yard, par-70 Glen Oaks Club for the first time.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs are a series of four $8 million tournaments that are played at the end of the PGA Tour season. In addition to the trophy and prize money, the overall FedEx Cup champion receives a bonus of $10 million.

"If I can remain in the top five in the first three events, I have a chance (to become overall champion)," said Matsuyama.

The Northern Trust will be held from Thursday to Sunday in New York and will feature 125 participants. The list will be trimmed to 100 for the second event, the Sept. 1-4 Dell Technologies Championship in Massachusetts, and cut to 70 for the Sept. 14-17 BMW Championship in Illinois.

Only 30 players will get to play in the final event, the Tour Championship, which will be held Sept. 21-24 at the East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta, Georgia.