Luke Donald Finally Collects Prize Cow He Won Six Months Ago in November Golf Tournament in Japan

Luke Donald SS Six months is a long time to wait for steak.

Luke Donald won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan in November. With the win came the typical trophy and winner’s check and a more unusual prize — a cow.

The tournament was held in Miyazaki, a region that is known for its breed of cattle that is similar to that of Kobe beef. The cows are treated almost like royalty before they are killed to eat — they have names, drink beer and are massaged with sake, according to ESPN.com.

An apparent foodie, Donald chose to keep his prized cow even when most winners choose to trade the cow in for cash on the spot. Donald realized the magnitude of what he had won and was determined to get the cow back to the United States and enjoy a hearty meal.

There was just one big issue — officials told Donald they would not be able to ship the physical cow to the US.

After contacting a chef friend of his, Nick Kokonas, in Chicago, Donald became part of a giant game of telephone that involved Kokonas and international importers to get his cow. The meat is so tasty that restaurants pay nearly $160 per pound for the specific type of beef, Kokonas told ESPN. And diners, who are eating it in smaller pieces, typically pay at least double that price.

The next thing Donald knew, he was told that he didn’t actually win one cow, but that his cow acquisition team would need to specify which cuts and how many pounds of each they wanted. It took months, but the two sides finally reached an agreement.

To make a long story relatively short, Donald finally received his beef on Tuesday. All 200 pounds of it, worth close to $80,000 at retail. After throwing some on the grill and finally tasting it, Donald told ESPN, “Definitely the best beef I’ve ever had.”

After a six-month wait, it had better be.