As bad as Hideki Matsuyama’s performance at The Players Championship began Thursday morning, one announcer used an even worse trope to describe the golfer’s start to the round.
The tournament teed off from TPC Sawgrass early Thursday morning on ESPN +. While Matsuyama was putting for bogey on 14, the announcers discussed some of the players who were smiling due to their strong starts. This prompted John Maginnes to note that Matsuyama was not smiling after starting the tournament +4 through five holes.
“Bad sushi. This is just a brutal round of golf.” pic.twitter.com/NSXOiNUhdw
— Vid Clip Hero (@VidClipHero) March 13, 2025
“He hasn’t smiled yet,” Maginnes said of Matsuyama on the broadcast. “Bad sushi. This is just a brutal round of golf so far.”
Equating Matsuyama’s lousy start with a “bad sushi” meal was certainly an interesting choice. The comment probably doesn’t warrant any notable repercussions, but it was inappropriate. Too often, people don’t even realize when they’re pushing a stereotype, and that appeared to be the case with Maginnes, who seemingly used this “bad sushi” explanation without much thought.
Matsuyama became the first male Japanese golfer to win a major championship when he won the Masters in 2021. After starting his Thursday round at TPC Sawgrass five over through six holes, the 33-year-old rebounded a bit to finish at just two over.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com