Beau Hossler Battles Wind to Fire 65 for Sole Lead at Midway Point of ZOZO Championship

INZAI, Chiba Prefecture ― Beau Hossler battled heavy winds on Friday, October 20 to shoot a 5-under 65 for a one-stroke lead over fellow American Justin Suh after the second round of the PGA Tour's ZOZO Championship.

Japan's Satoshi Kodaira had an impressive 2-under 68 that left him in sole possession of third place.

Bidding for his first PGA Tour victory since turning pro in 2016, Hossler carded seven birdies against a pair of bogeys at the par-70 Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

"Playing in whatever, easily 20- to 30-mile an hour winds today was certainly a challenge," said Hossler, who has a 36-hole total of 7-under 133. "I'd say anything under par was a really quality score, to shoot 5-under par was incredible."

Hossler's round featured three straight birdies on the back nine that allowed him to take a two-stroke lead. If not for a bogey on the final hole his lead could have been bigger.

Suh was a further stroke back after a 66 that included six birdies and two bogeys.

"The first couple of holes we didn't have that wind but after two holes it really picked up," said PGA Tour rookie Suh. "I think what I did really well was keeping the ball below the trees and making compact shots."

Kodaira Maintains Poise in Second Round

Kodaira, who was a further stroke back of Suh at 5-under 135, had an early bogey on the par-4 second hole but was solid after that with three birdies.

The 34-year-old Kodaira said the key to coping with the wind was to stay calm.

"My main focus was just to make sure that I kept my pace the same, my swing the same," said Kodaira, who had a 67 in the opening round. "Nothing too specific concerning the wind, but just keeping the rhythm the same and just playing like yesterday."

Other Top ZOZO Championship Contenders

Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele shot a 69 to finish tied for fourth with Japan's Yuki Inamori (67), Argentina's Emiliano Grillo and American Eric Cole (71).

Things weren't looking good for Schauffele but he reeled off three birdies over the last five holes to stay in contention for the title.

"It was getting away from me a little bit," Schauffele said. "Didn't feel like I was playing that poorly, just hit some bad shots at the wrong times on some of those par 4s. It was nice to see some putts go in there late and finish off with a birdie."

But not all the golfers fared as well in the gusty conditions.

Overnight leader Collin Morikawa had four bogeys and a double bogey against three birdies on his way to a 3-over 73 that left him tied for eighth in a large group that included defending champion Keegan Bradley (70) and Ryo Ishikawa (69).

"I hit three fairways today," Morikawa said. "So playing out of the rough and playing out of the trees is not easy on this golf course because the greens are fairly small."

Disappointing Day for Matsuyama

2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama also struggled with the wind and managed only one birdie against three bogeys and two double bogeys for a 6-over 76. He is tied for 61st at 5-over 145.

Matsuyama, who won this tournament in 2021, has been dealing with back injuries and hadn't played in a tournament since pulling out of the BMW Championship in late August.

The ZOZO Championship is the only PGA Tour event in Japan, featuring 16 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. In 2019, Tiger Woods won the inaugural tournament and Matsuyama was runner-up. 

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• Hideki Matsuyama Aiming to Return to Form at the PGA ZOZO Championship

Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.