Kodaira stands firm in the wind, brings cheers to home fans

Satoshi Kodaira cheered the home crowd with his solid two-under-par 68 on a windy Friday and kept himself firmly in contention at the halfway stage of the US$8.5 million Zozo Championship.

The 34-year-old remained composed as he recovered from an early bogey on the second hole, marking three birdies between holes seven and 10 at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba.

He reached the 36-hole mark in outright third place with an aggregate of five-under 135, trailing the American leader, Beau Hossler, by just two shots.

Hossler combined seven birdies with two bogeys to card an impressive 65, securing a one-shot advantage over his compatriot Justin Suh, who recorded a 66.

Kodaira faces immense pressure this week and urgently needs a standout performance in the remaining PGA Tour's FedExCup Fall series events to stay in contention for a top-125 finish in the points standings. He is currently ranked 183 in the standings.

On the PGA Tour, only the top-125 points finishers retain their playing privileges for the 2024 season.

Counting on the comforts of playing on home soil, Kodaira is resolute in justifying the sponsor's faith in him. He might not have qualified for the limited 78-man field this week if not for a sponsor's exemption.

"I want to take this opportunity and do the best I can. Obviously, I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity from ZOZO to play this week and obviously, I'm not able to be here by ranking, so I'm very grateful to be here this week," said Kodaira, a seven-time JGTO winner.

"Obviously, I want to gain as many points as I can and hopefully, that will help me for the next season."

On a day when strong winds blew several players off course, including overnight leader Colin Morikawa, Kodaira showcased his determination by navigating the challenging conditions.

He was one of only 13 players to break par today.

"I think the most important thing is I was able to keep calm throughout the round and I think that worked out for me very well," explained Kodaira.

"My main focus was just to make sure that I kept my pace the same, my swing the same. Nothing too specific concerning the wind, but just again keeping the rhythm the same and just playing like yesterday."

Two-time Japan Open winner, Yuki Inamori, held steady to shoot a 67, finishing as the second best-placed Japanese player in a tie for fourth.

He stands alongside American duo Xander Schauffele and Eric Cole, as well as Argentinian Emiliano Grillo- all at four-under 136.

Though a victory this week could grant Inamori a two-year PGA Tour exemption, and it seems within striking distance at this juncture, he remains grounded and focused.

"Today went quite well for me. There are still two days left, so I intend to play my style of golf," said Inamori, who won the ACN Championship a fortnight ago.

"This is my second time playing here, and I want to finish higher than my previous position from two years ago. It's a world-class competition, perhaps setting sights on a win may be a little bit too ambitious

"But I want to play to the best of my ability. There are still nuances on the course I may not have grasped, but my aim is to shave off even a single shot."

Mikumu Horikawa and Ryo Ishikawa carded 72 and 69 respectively to make it four Japanese in top-10 by coming in joint eighth on 137.

Hossler was delighted to put himself in a good position to claim his first title and is excited with the prospects of getting it achieved abroad, especially in a golf-loving country like Japan.

"No disrespect to Japan, but I'll take a win anywhere. This is an awesome place. I really liked playing last year, I was excited to come back.

"It's a really cool week for us off the course, incredible food, incredible host facility. The fans here are world-class and seem to really like golf and are educated about golf. They seem to really enjoy having us here this week, so it's really special for us to be here.

"They're so positive. Even when I'm a little negative, seems like they're still positive. You hit an average shot and they're excited about it. They seem to really appreciate the game.

"It's clear having played on Tour with Hideki (Matsuyama) for whatever, five, six years now, how big of a deal golf is in Japan, because he is literally a superstar.

"He's effectively the Tiger Woods of Japan it feels like, and to see that first-hand obviously, but even when we're over stateside, he's got 15, 20 cameras following him everywhere."

Matsuyama, the winner in 2021 and runner-up to Woods in 2019, had another forgettable round for the second consecutive day, as he posted a 76, dropping him to a tie for 61st place.

Leading second round scores:

133: Beau Hossler (US) 68-65;

134: Justin Suh (US) 68-66;

135: Satoshi Kodaira (Jpn) 67-68;

136: Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 65-71, Yuki Inamori (Jpn) 69-67, Xander Schaufelle 67-69, Eric Cole (US) 65-71;

137: J.J. Spaun (US) 69-68, Cam Davis (Aus) 67-70, Keegan Bradley (US) 67-70, Robby Shelton (US) 65-71, Mikumu Horikawa (Jpn) 65-72, Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 68-69, Colin Morikawa (US) 64-73.

Ends.