There's already a winner at ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP: The food

Players are feasting at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

Literally.

Even after only 17 of 77 players shot par or better in winds of 20-30 mph in the second round, tales of triumph at the dining room table continued at a tournament known for its food.

“Yeah, we went to sushi the first night in Narita, it was incredible,” said Beau Hossler, who is seeking his first win on the PGA TOUR and shot 5-under 65 to go into the weekend atop the leaderboard, one ahead of Justin Suh (66). “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 like a Japanese barbecue,” Hossler continued, “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. It's been great.”

Epic meals have been par for the course at the ZOZO since Tiger Woods won the first edition of the tournament in 2019. Collin Morikawa, who calls himself a devout foodie and has Japanese heritage of his father’s side, took time out with his wife, Katherine, early in the week to visit a world-renowned sushi restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo.

“Man, I almost don't want to have sushi again because it was that special,” said Morikawa, who led after Round 1 but hit just three fairways and shot 73 Friday to fall four back. “Chef Jiro was actually making the sushi for us, which made it even that much more special.

“It is a short period of time; you have about 30 minutes to eat the food,” he continued. “Man, I don't know how to explain it other than it just being an incredible experience and an honor to be there sitting in front of him and witnessing just talent, right? It's artwork.”

Min Woo Lee, who shot 73 Friday and is nine shots back, has been similarly smitten.

“It's always nice to come back here,” said Lee, who is on the cusp of PGA TOUR membership for next season. “It's clean, it's organized, the food is unbelievable. It's probably the best player food we'll have all around, there's sashimi and steak and rice…”

Xander Schauffele, whose Taiwanese mother grew up in Japan, shot a second-round 69 and was at 4 under, three back. He’s trying to win for the first time this season and wrote in a player blog for Sky Sports earlier this week that he was expecting to eat well.

“It's going to be another week with big dinners planned with a lot of family members,” said the seven-time PGA TOUR winner, “and it'll be nice to see my grandparents.”

All of which makes the ZOZO a veritable major for munching.

“They do an awesome job with the hospitality this week,” Hossler continued. “Like I said, I think every player out here looks forward to coming here and eating food for the week. With the exception of if you're a vegan or something, I think you're in pretty good shape.”