After a season marred by injury and a struggle to regain the form that produced two major titles in 2024, Xander Schauffele fired a final-round 7-under-par 64 to win the Baycurrent Classic by one shot over Max Greyserman.
The victory in Yokohama, Japan, was meaningful for several reasons: Schauffele’s mother and mother-in-law both grew up in Japan, and his maternal grandparents live there. His previous win in that country was a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when there were no spectators. And it was the first triumph of the season for Schauffele, who earned $1.44 million.
“This is really special for me — sooner than I thought, to be fair,” said Schauffele, who missed two months of the 2025 season with a rib injury and failed to reach the Tour Championship for the first time after winning the PGA Championship and British Open in 2024.
“I was running out of events in 2025 to sort of put my mark on it. I’m sure when I look back on 2025 at the end of my career, I’ll smile and think it was a great year.”
Toe-to-Toe with Greyserman
Schauffele finished at 19-under 265 at Yokohama Country Club. Greyserman, who shot 65, was also the runner-up at this event a year ago and is seeking his first PGA Tour title.
Tied to begin the day, the lead went back and forth between the two men, depending on who putted for birdie first.
Both men went out in 3-under 33, each making four birdies and a bogey. Schauffele went ahead with a birdie on No. 10, but Greyserman birdied the 12th and 13th. Schauffele also birdied the 13th to stay tied.
Greyserman fell two shots behind when Schauffele birdied the 14th and 17th holes. Needing to hole out from 190 yards on the 18th to have any chance, Greyserman hit 7-iron that settled a few inches from the cup and left him a tap-in birdie.
An easy two-putt par from 35 feet was all Schauffele, 31, needed to secure his 10th career title and move from fourth to third in the Official Golf World Ranking. He also extended his consecutive cuts made to 72, the longest current streak on the Tour.
Friends and family cheered on Schauffele
Unlike the Olympics, when the COVID-19 pandemic all but eliminated spectators, Schauffele was cheered on by the partisan fans and several family members, including his 81-year-old grandmother.
“I’ve been coming here since I was about 9 years old to visit my grandparents,” Schauffele said. “I sort of fell in love with this country a long time ago.
“The ties run deep for the Schauffele family here in Japan,” he added. “I mean, I don’t get to see them very often and they’ve always been gracious with their time to come out wherever the event was. I’ve really wanted to share a win with them.”
Another close call for Greyserman.
Greyserman finished second for the fifth time in his short PGA Tour career. Making his Baycurrent Classic debut, Michael Thorbjornsen finished with a 64 and was three strokes behind Schauffele in solo third at 16 under.
Takumi Kanaya tied for fourth at 14 under for the best finish among the 17 Japanese players in the field; 2021 Baycurrent Classic winner Hideki Matsuyama finished in a tie for 20th.
Matt McCarty shot a final-round 60 to finish tied for 14th at 10 under. The 11-under round was his career best and set a tournament record. He had a chance to shoot 58, but hit his tee shot into the trees on his final hole and made bogey.
The Tour takes a week off before resuming the fall schedule Oct. 23-26 for the Bank of Utah Championship at the Black Desert Resort Golf Course in Ivins, Utah. McCarty is the defending champion.
