So, did you stay up to watch the conclusion of the Baycurrent Classic live? If you had a dog in the fight, then that’s a rhetorical question.

As golf fans and bettors have come to expect, Xander Schauffele is as big a dog in limited-field invitationals with no cut than just about anyone else with whom you’d care to counter. And he did it again with a one-stroke victory at Yokohama Country Club in Japan.

Positioned 13 hours ahead of the East Coast of the United States, 16 hours ahead of the West Coast and 19 hours clear of Hawaii, where the third quarter of the Rainbow Warriors’ tilt with Utah State on the gridiron was only three minutes old on Saturday night local time when Schauffele clinched, the Baycurrent Classic gifted us with one last warp of time as it concerns PGA TOUR stops in 2025.

Schauffele closed with a 7-under 64 to post 19-under 265. He found all 15 fairways on the funky par 71 in the finale. It was his 200th PGA TOUR start and 10th victory on the circuit (and first this year). It yielded $1.44 million of a prize fund of $8 million. Because he finished inside the top 50 in the FedExCup (42nd), he doesn’t collect FedExCup points. And while he didn’t advance to the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career, he’s exempt into all Signature Events, THE PLAYERS Championship and all four majors in 2026.

The 31-year-old has been a fixture at the Baycurrent Classic since it debuted in 2019. That’s primarily due to the fact that it doubles as a visit with his maternal grandparents who live in Japan. His previous-best finish in the tournament was a T9 in 2022, but it’s no surprise that he was the tournament favorite at +1000 pre-tournament at FanDuel.

Mad Max

OK, so Max Greyserman (+5500) wasn’t visibly livid for settling for second place in Yokohama, but it goes in the books as his fifth runner-up finish in 53 starts as a PGA TOUR member across just two seasons without a victory. He held at least a share of the lead after every round and signed for a 6-under 65 on Sunday, so it’s tough to point to him as the reason why he’s still winless. Schauffele was just one swing better. In fact, needing a hole-out on the par-4 18th hole to bring a playoff into play, Greyserman flushed his approach to 18 inches. The kick-in birdie forced Schauffele to two-putt for par from just outside 35 feet.

Michael the Marvel

When the valedictorian of PGA TOUR University accepts membership in the summer after securing his card via that conduit, his fully exempt status extends into the following season. So, when Michael Thorbjornsen finished No. 1 in PGA TOUR University in 2024, he was secure through 2025. In the interim, the bubble to retain status for 2026 was reduced to the top 100 in the FedExCup. At 90th in points entering the Baycurrent Classic, he’d need to continue playing well to eliminate the sweat.

Done and done.

The 23-year-old finished alone in third in Yokohama, three strokes off Schauffele’s pace. It’s Thorbjornsen’s fourth top-four finish in the last six months. He’s now 72nd in the FedExCup. He was a respectful +3000 to record his first PGA TOUR victory.

Cookin’ at home

Every tournament presents so many objectives for every entrant, but for each of the 17 in the field who play under the flag of Japan, there was a special layer in the only PGA TOUR stop in his homeland – to beat his fellow countrymen if he couldn’t win the tournament outright. The honor was swiped by Takumi Kanaya. With a bogey-free, 9-under 62 on Sunday, the 27-year-old roared up the leaderboard to finish T4, five shots back of the champ.

It’s as clutch as it gets for a hopeful at this time of year as he leaps 22 spots to 113th in the FedExCup. This is his first year as a PGA TOUR member, but he’s not a rookie because he exceeded seven starts as a non-member in 2021-22.

At +7500 to win, Kanaya was the third-shortest to win among the Japanese. Japan’s top-ranked talent and home favorite, Hideki Matsuyama (+1800), settled for a share of 20th place. That was T3 among the Japanese. Non-member Kazuki Higa (+22500) placed T18.

Buzzing back to Utah

In his last round before he can set his sights singularly on defending his first victory on the PGA TOUR at the Bank of Utah Championship, Matt McCarty (+6000) spun a tournament-best, 11-under 60 in Yokohama. The lefty buried 12 birdies, including eight in a row on his inward nine (Nos. 1-8 on the course). Needing only a par on the par-4 ninth for a 59, he flared his drive out of bounds but regathered for a bogey. After opening with 75 in his tournament debut, he scored 65 and 74 in the second and third rounds, respectively, and then ultimately landed in a share of 14th place.

This, that and the other

• The 2023 Baycurrent Classic champion, Collin Morikawa, was second-shortest to take this year’s title at +1600. While he blitzed Yokohama for an 8-under 63, he still checked up one stroke outside the top 10 for a T14. It’s his best finish of his last seven starts, but he’s had only one top 10 (T8, Rocket Classic) in his last 16.
• Like Greyserman in Japan, Garrick Higgo (+4000) held at least a share of the lead after every round at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship, and then succumbed to breakthrough champion Steven Fisk. Undeterred, the lefty kept his rally rolling in Yokohama with a T4. He opened the FedExCup Fall with a T7 at the Procore Championship. (Fisk didn’t compete in the Baycurrent Classic.)
• Nico Echavarria captured victory in last year’s Baycurrent Classic contested at ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan, but the change in venue didn’t get in the way of a lucrative performance. The 31-year-old Colombian finished ninth, six strokes back of Schauffele. Echavarria was +8000 to go back-to-back.
• And in his first start as a first-time father, William Mouw (+7500) placed T18 with a week-best 63 in the finale. His daughter, Adalyn, was born on Sept. 5, which was also his 25th birthday. He had committed to and withdrew early from the first two stops of the FedExCup Fall.

That’s the Ticket!

This section reflects which bets endorsed by the Golfbet team cashed and where you could find them.

Q: Was the winner in my Power Rankings?

A: Yes. “No. 4. Xander Schauffele. Among just a handful of guys who competed in all of the first six editions of the tournament, he’s always enjoyed the trip to Japan to see family and peg it in earnest. Co-led the Americans with three points at the Ryder Cup.”

Glass’ DraftKings Props

• Garrick Higgo (T4) – Top 10 (+250)
• Michael Thorbjornsen (third) – Top 20 (+110)
• Byeong Hun An (T4) – Top 20 (+160)
• Kazuki Higa (T18) – Top 20 (+360)

Expert Picks

Will Gray

• Garrick Higgo (71) – Over 69.5 in Round 1 (-105)

Chris Breece

• 72-hole matchup: Garrick Higgo (T4) over Min Woo Lee (T10) (-105)

Paul Hodowanic

• Garrick Higgo (T4) – Top 10 (+300)

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