Preview
Baycurrent Classic 2026 preview: Schauffele defends in Yokohama
Xander Schauffele bids to become the first player to retain this title as the PGA TOUR's FedExCup Fall heads to Japan, with Morikawa, Matsuyama, Thomas and Spieth in a 72-man, no-cut field.
Xander Schauffele can become the first player to defend this title this week, as the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Fall moves to Japan for the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club (8–11 October). Because of the time difference, the first group is off at 23:45 GMT on Wednesday night.
7,322 yards, 72 players, no cut
It is a 72-player, no-cut event with an $8 million purse, the third of eight FedExCup Fall tournaments. Yokohama Country Club plays as a par 71 of 7,322 yards, using 16 holes from the West Course and two from the East. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw remodelled it in 2015.
The course has changed slightly since last year. The 18th has been stretched from 475 to 482 yards and trees have been removed to the right of that fairway, and the 2nd and 15th have new bunkers, tees and fairway lines, according to the PGA TOUR. The greens are bentgrass and the fairways zoysia. Matt McCarty shot 60 here in the final round last year.
Schauffele’s closing 64 last year
Schauffele closed with a 64 to win on 19 under, one clear of Max Greyserman, who nearly holed his approach at the last. It was Schauffele’s first win since the 2024 Open. He arrives with seven top-10 finishes this season, according to the PGA TOUR.
The PGA TOUR’s official highlights of last year’s final round:
Morikawa, Matsuyama and the Presidents Cup players
Collin Morikawa, who won this event in 2023, and Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 champion when it was still the Zozo Championship, are both back. Matsuyama finished the FedExCup season with four top-seven finishes in a seven-event stretch and went 2-2-0 for the Internationals at Medinah.
Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Wyndham Clark are also in the field. Min Woo Lee, tied fourth at the Tour Championship, won 2½ points at the Presidents Cup, and Jacob Bridgeman, who clinched the Cup for the United States (our report), plays alongside Schauffele and Morikawa on Thursday.
Tom Kim withdrew after winning Asian Games gold, as we reported at the weekend, and Kris Ventura took his spot.
Spieth and the 2027 status race
Spieth starts the week 55th in the FedExCup Fall standings. Anyone who ends the Fall between 51st and 60th gets into the first two Signature Events of 2027, at Pebble Beach and the Genesis Invitational.
Further down, players such as Max Greyserman (98th), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (99th), Lee Hodges (103rd), Tony Finau (104th) and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (106th) are fighting around the top-100 line that decides full cards for next season.
Kanaya, Nakajima and the Japanese entries
Takumi Kanaya was tied fourth here last year after a closing 62, Keita Nakajima has a tied third at the Genesis Scottish Open among his results, and Jinichiro Kozuma and amateur Koshin Nagasaki are in on invitations.
Round-one groups in GMT
Japan is nine hours ahead of GMT. Play goes off the 1st and 10th tees from 08:45 on Thursday in Yokohama. Selected groups:
| GMT | Tee | Players |
|---|---|---|
| 23:56 (Wed) | 1st | Denny McCarthy, Max Greyserman, Keita Nakajima |
| 00:18 | 10th | Min Woo Lee, Jordan Spieth, Sungjae Im |
| 00:29 | 10th | Jacob Bridgeman, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele |
| 01:24 | 1st | Wyndham Clark, Justin Thomas, Adam Scott |
| 01:24 | 10th | Ryan Gerard, Kevin Yu, Tony Finau |
| 01:35 | 1st | Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler |
| 01:46 | 1st | Doug Ghim, Zach Bauchou, Koshin Nagasaki (a) |
Golf Channel’s overnight coverage
In the US, Golf Channel shows every round live from 11pm to 3am ET, which is 03:00 to 07:00 GMT each morning from Thursday to Sunday, with a simulcast on the Golf Channel app. Live scoring is on the PGA TOUR’s official leaderboard.
Our picks: Schauffele, Matsuyama, Lee
- Xander Schauffele. Seven top-10s this season and a winner on this course twelve months ago.
- Hideki Matsuyama. A past champion of this event, playing at home after four top-seven finishes in a seven-event stretch.
- Min Woo Lee. Tied 10th here last year and in form after East Lake and Medinah.
The tournament hub will carry a report after each round.
Sources
- PGA TOUR: The First Look, Baycurrent Classic
- PGA TOUR: Inside the Field, Baycurrent Classic
- PGA TOUR: Baycurrent Classic, how to watch
- PGA TOUR: Baycurrent Classic round one tee times
- GOLF.com: 2026 Baycurrent Classic TV schedule
- Yahoo Sports: Xander Schauffele leads Baycurrent Classic power rankings
- PGA TOUR on YouTube: Xander Schauffele shoots 64, round 4 highlights, Baycurrent 2025
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