Min Woo Lee on Friday on the 18th hole at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.
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Beau Hossler was asked about the food, and man, let him tell you about the food.
His meals this week in Japan have been good. And plenty.
“Yeah, we went to sushi the first night in Narita. It was incredible,” Hossler said. “The pieces of fish, they don’t skimp over here — you’re getting like three full bites on a nigiri piece. Then last night, we did a Japanese barbecue, had some wagyu, sirloin, et cetera. That was incredible. Just cook it right there in front of you. Want to try some ramen maybe tonight.
“But even player dining here, I don’t know what it is, the rice here is just different; it’s way better. I’ve been putting scrambled eggs on top of rice.”
In short, he was in a good place. Have a question about eating? Fire away.
And then there was nearly everybody else.
Friday, during the second round of the Zozo Championship, Hossler shot a five-under 65 at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. But that was unicornic. The winds blew, with gusts in the 30-mph range. And the scores soared. Hossler thrived. And others dived. Some numbers:
— Out of 77 players, just 13 broke par. Four shot even.
— Collin Morikawa, the first-round leader after a 64, was nine strokes worse during the second round.
— There were other struggles. Nicolai Hojgaard, fresh off the Ryder Cup, shot seven-over, after a first-round 65. Matt Wallace also shot seven-over. Ben Taylor doubled that. He had five pars, a double bogey — and a whopping 12 bogeys in his round of 84.
— All 18 holes in round two had a higher scoring average than in round one.
— Overall, the scoring average (72.45) was about three strokes higher than a day earlier.
Then there were the comments.
Here’s Cam Davis, who managed a 70.
“Cam, how difficult was it?”
“It was — that was one of the windiest rounds of golf I’ve had all year, for sure,” he said. “That was tough.”
“Can you describe any particular hole where the club difference was just a couple of club differences?”
“Well, I hit my shortest drive of the year probably by 40 yards on the last hole,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time I hit driver, driver on a par-4 and still came up short of the green. It was a really tough day. Very happy with the way I grinded it out in even-par because that felt like a really difficult round.”
“Two birdies in the last four holes, that must have been nice coming in.”
“Yeah. I mean, even if I turned in two-over, that still would have been fine, but to get back to even-par, I feel really proud of that,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time we played with a four- or five-club wind. It’s been a long time for me.”
And here’s Emiliano Grillo, who shot a 71.
“Emi, how difficult was it?”
“You tell me, you were out there, too,” he said. “Yeah, it was windy. It was windy and soft — it’s a weird combination. … But, you know, the greens are pretty soft, very receptive and it’s pretty bumpy out there, so it’s kind of hard to make putts. You’ll have to keep the ball on the green somehow and two-putt and just wait for the good opportunities.”
“What do you think you did well all day?”
“Nothing. No, it was — I don’t know, it was super windy, so I think just keeping the ball in play, keeping patient. Was able to make two birdies in a row, which I’m pretty sure not a lot of people did today so that helps. No birdies on the back nine, which is a shame. Like I told you, I was able to stay patient. A couple bogeys on the back, but it was a tough day.”
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And there was Xander Schauffele, who was among those under par, after a 69.
“The conditions in general, just how difficult was that to endure today, especially just knowing that everyone was going to struggle in staying patient?”
“Yeah, it was hard,” he said. “It seemed to be a lot of crosswinds on most of the holes, made it hard to hit it close. The par-5s were probably the only holes that you could birdie, and if you didn’t hit in the fairway, you’re struggling. So I did that early on and was able to clean it up late.
“Yeah, I think everyone’s happy that the round’s over.”
With all of that being said, though, how did Hossler shoot a 65? His round even included two bogeys, including one on his final hole.
In short, he was in a good place.
“Honestly, just try and deal with it,” Hossler said afterward. “It is what it is. It makes every shot significantly more difficult, from a three-foot putt to a 260-yard shot into a green. It’s a significant challenge on every shot and you just try as much as you can to just focus on the one that’s right in front of you and not get ahead of yourself.
“That’s the best answer I’ve got.”
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