Xander Schauffele traveled 7,500 miles from his Jupiter, Fla., base to Yokohama, Japan, but his emotional comeback victory at the Baycurrent Classic had the feel of a home coming. The 31-year-old was embraced by both his parents and the grandparents who gave him his Japanese heritage moments after ending a 15-month, injury-laden winless streak via a thrilling victory at the PGA Tour event outside Tokyo.
His nearest challengers at Yokohama Country Club, Max Greyserman and Michael Thorbjornsen, fought valiantly but, down the stretch on the back nine they were no match for a two-time major champion with a point to prove, a PGA Tour milestone to earn and a deep, emotional connection to Japan.
Schauffele is a native of San Diego but his mother, Ping-Yi Chen, was born in Chinese Taipei and grew up in Japan. Schauffele had played every edition of the Japan tournament since it debuted in 2019, when Tiger Woods claimed his 82nd PGA Tour victory.
Schauffele was luckless in the event and had not won on the PGA Tour since claiming a second major championship at the 2024 Open at Royal Troon before arriving in Japan this week. The winless streak seemed likely to continue in Japan given Schauffele’s frustrating 2025 season, which was hampered by a rib injury and had seen him struggle outside of top-eight finishes at the Masters, the Open and Scottish Open.
But once he landed in Japan and was picked up at the airport by his grandparents, Eisei Chen, 81, and Namiko Azuma, 91, Schauffele seemed inspired. Both grandparents, despite their tender ages, walked in the gallery each day at Yokohoma C.C..
On the final day, Schauffele held off his final group playing partners, New Jersey native Greyserman (65) and former Stanford star Thorbjornsen (64), with a 64 to finish at 19 under par. Greyserman was second at 18-under, while Thorbjornsen was third at 16-under. Takumi Kanaya, a native of Japan and a former World No. 1 on the amateur circuit, was among several tied fourth at 14 under.
Schauffele’s triumph over the 78-player Bayclassic field secured his 10th PGA Tour victory in his 200th career start.
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How it unfolded was a brilliant climax while most American golf fans were likely asleep. The final trio was tied for the lead through nine holes on Sunday until a turning point came at the 507-yard, par-4 14th. After a 261-yard fairway metal tee shot, Schauffele hit a stunning approach from 232 yards to 22 feet and drained the birdie putt.
Greyserman, chasing his first win as a professional, and Thorbjornsen continued to lurk, but they could not stop Schauffele from pulling two shots ahead when he birdied the par-4 17th. Even then, Greyserman refused to give up and almost forced a playoff when he came within inches of holing his approach for eagle on the 18th hole. His birdie forced Schauffele to two-putt for par and the win.
“It’s nice to know I’ve still got it; it was a tough year,” a relieved Schauffele said after winning. “I was plenty nervous. It's been over a year since I was even looking at winning a golf tournament. I had to dig deep in my memory to do it again. Max and Michael played very solid golf. We were neck and neck through 15, 16 holes, then Max almost holed out on the last hole. It was a very satisfying win because they're great players.”
Xander Schauffele acknowledges the gallery after winning the Baycurrent Classic in Japan.
Yoshimasa Nakano
Schauffele said the catalyst for the victory came in his individual performance at the recent Ryder Cup, where he went 3-1-0 including a singles victory over Jon Rahm.
“The Ryder Cup was pretty solid,” Schauffele said. “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 reflected on his play in 2025 and how he kept up his spirits despite disappointing results. “I have a really good team around me, they pick me up when I'm down,” he said. “This came sooner than I thought, to be fair. I was running out of events in 2025 to 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.”
And by all reports, Schauffele was due for a good Sunday night. It was his third moment of glory in Japan and second victory in the country. Schauffele took the gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games, only 90 minutes from Yokohama. Last year, after winning the PGA and Open Championship, he also brought the claret jug to the Pacific so that his grandparents could hold it.
Now, he gets to celebrate double digits on the PGA Tour with them. “[It’ll] probably a big get-together, a few drinks,” he said.
“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 or would be in Yokohama or in Chiba. They've been awesome to me, and this is pretty cool. I've really wanted to share a win with them, so can't wait to get together with them.”
