Golf Commentator Taking Heat For 'Insane' Comment About Hideki Matsuyama

03/14/2025 05:47 PM

Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama might not be having his best tournament at The Players Championship this week, but he's probably having a better one than John Maginnes is right now.

Maginnes was on the broadcast call for one of the networks covering the event at TPC Sawgrass yesterday morning and was giving commentary on Matsuyama's struggles on 14. As the former Masters winner found himself well over par on his first day, Maginnes blamed his dour mood on "bad sushi."

"He hasn't smiled yet," Maginnes said. "Bad sushi. This is just a brutal round of golf so far."

"Bad sushi. This is just a brutal round of golf." pic.twitter.com/NSXOiNUhdw

— Vid Clip Hero (@VidClipHero) March 13, 2025

Matsuyama is Japanese, so a few viewers on social media seem to believe that Maginnes was making an ethic dig at the former Masters winner. Some have even called him out for being "unprofessional."

"Had to rewind to make sure I really heard it. That's a WILD thing to say," one user wrote.

"Hey @espn, your @ESPNPlus commentator saying 'must have been bad sushi' referring to Matsuyama being +4 through 5 holes is the most insane, unprofessional thing I've ever heard, holy hell mate," another said.

"Some people just don't realize when they say stereotypical things to state the least," a third lamented.

Matsuyama ultimately finished the day with a score of 74 thanks to three birdies helping to offset his early struggles. As of writing, he's hovering just around the cut mark with a few holes to go on his second round at the tournament.

Matsuyama already boasts one win this year as he claimed victory at The Sentry in Hawaii back in January, holding off Collin Morikawa by three strokes. He's won five PGA Tour events since his iconic Masters win in 2021 and has not missed the cut in a single major he's been a part of since. 

Last year Matsuyama saw a wide range of results during the majors, finishing 38th at the Masters and 35th at the PGA Championship. Though he had a great showing at the U.S. Open, finishing sixth. He finished the tournament ranked 66th at The Open Championship.

Will he be able to get back into contention here at The Players Championship?

Related: Hideki Matsuyama's Caddie's Reaction To Winning Masters Going Viral