Sunday afternoon marked the end of one of the more surprising runs of results in golf. Without a win in 14 months, Xander Schauffele finally bounced back with a victory in the Baycurrent Classic at the Yokohama Country Club.
Following a solid three days of golf, Schauffele sealed the deal with a final-round 64 to fend off the challenge of Max Greyserman. Arriving in a nation close to Schauffele’s heart, this 10th PGA Tour title marked a significant step back in the right direction following a disappointing 2025.
Photo credit: world_pictures / Shutterstock.com.
Slump Following Major Winning Season
Xander Schauffele enjoyed a golden year in 2024. Having claimed a first major title at the PGA Championship, he promptly added a second at The Open. Following those landmark victories, big things were expected in 2025.
However, in a fine illustration of the ups and downs of life as a professional golfer, the current season has failed to catch fire for the 31-year-old. Plagued by a rib injury in the first part of the year, the pick of Schauffele’s performances saw him register top-eight finishes at The Masters, The Open, and the Scottish Open. As a result of a series of underwhelming results, he failed to qualify for the Tour Championship for the first time in his PGA Tour career. With the gap to his most recent success at Royal Troon increasing by the day, Schauffele needed a big result sooner rather than later.
Just Too Good for Greyserman in Final Round
| Position | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Par Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xander Schauffele | 71 | 63 | 67 | 64 | -19 (265) |
| 2 | Max Greyserman | 67 | 63 | 71 | 65 | -18 (266) |
| 3 | Michael Thorbjornsen | 69 | 69 | 66 | 64 | -16 (268) |
| =4 | Takumi Kanaya | 68 | 70 | 70 | 62 | -14 (270) |
| =4 | Rico Hoey | 68 | 68 | 71 | 63 | -14 (270) |
| =4 | Alex Smalley | 69 | 65 | 72 | 64 | -14 (270) |
| =4 | Byeong Hun An | 69 | 69 | 66 | 66 | -14 (270) |
| =4 | Garrick Higgo | 71 | 65 | 68 | 66 | -14 (270) |
| 9 | Nico Echavarria | 70 | 65 | 69 | 67 | -13 (271) |
| =10 | Keith Mitchell | 75 | 62 | 73 | 63 | -11 (273) |
| =10 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 69 | 68 | 70 | 66 | -11 (273) |
| =10 | Matt Wallace | 74 | 66 | 66 | 67 | -11 (273) |
| =10 | Min Woo Lee | 73 | 65 | 67 | 68 | -11 (273) |
Following a steady score of 71 on Day 1, Schauffele hauled himself into contention with an excellent 11-under round of 63 on Day 2. A Day 3 score of 63 saw him join Max Greyserman at the head of the leaderboard. Soft conditions and low winds were conducive to low scoring on Sunday afternoon.
Locked together on 12 under par as the final round began, Schauffele and Greyserman were joined by Michael Thorbjornsen following his eagle at the fourth. However, Thorbjornsen’s challenge fell away, leaving Schauffele and Greyserman to trade birdies on the back nine.
Schauffele edged ahead with a birdie at the 10th, but Greyserman responded with birdies at the 12th and 13th. Back came Schauffele with a birdie of his own at 13. Then came what felt like the pivotal moment in the head-to-head battle. Following a fine drive at the 507-yard par-four 14th, Schauffele fired a magnificent approach to the green and sank the 22-foot putt for birdie. A final birdie at 17 left Schauffele two clear approaching the 18th tee.
Greyserman never gave up and almost holed an 182-yard eagle effort at 18 to force a playoff. A closing birdie took the Palm Beach pro to -18, one shot behind Schauffele’s tournament-winning -19. It was another near miss for Greyserman, who has now finished second five times on the PGA Tour, including in the 2024 edition of this event.
Big in Japan: PGA Tour Win and Olympic Gold
This win was no doubt particularly sweet for Schauffele, given his close ties to Japan. The major winner hails from San Diego, but his mother, Ping-Ye Chen, was born in Chinese Taipei and grew up in Japan. Now 81 and 91 years old, Schauffele’s grandparents still live in Japan, were there to meet him at the airport and supported him throughout the week. Continuing the Japanese links, Schauffele’s wife is half Japanese.
Given those family ties, it is no surprise to learn that Schauffele has played every edition of this tournament since its inaugural event in 2019. This win is his second significant result in Japan, following his Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
Success Builds on Ryder Cup Promise
This result continues the positive momentum of Schauffele’s performance at the Ryder Cup. Team USA may have come up short in New York, but Schauffele played some of his best golf of the year. Posting a record of 3-1-0, including a singles victory over Jon Rahm, he finished as the joint top points scorer for the US.
When reflecting on this win, Schauffele suggested that his improved showing at the Ryder Cup may have played a role in Japan:
“The Ryder Cup was pretty solid. The whole tournament, even though we lost. For me personally, I was able to hit a few shots in high-stakes moments that sort of gave me a little bit of confidence for sure.”
Schauffele will hope his 10th PGA title from 200 starts marks a turning point. However, it is perhaps worth remembering that three of the past six winners of this tournament (Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, and Nico Echavarria) have yet to win another PGA Tour event. Something to build on for sure, but the world number four can’t afford to take anything for granted.