Yokohama (Japan) (AFP) – Michael Brennan held off two-time major champion Xander Schauffele to win the US PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic in Japan on Sunday for his second title of the year. Brennan emerged from a tight field at Yokohama Country Club with a final-round three-under-par 68 to finish on 16-under, one stroke clear of fellow Americans Jacob Bridgeman and Keith Mitchell.
It gave the 24-year-old his third win on the PGA Tour and his second of 2026 after also coming out on top at the Wyndham Championship in August. Defending champion Schauffele finished three shots behind after a final-day four-under-par 67. The Tokyo Olympics champion from 2021 was right in the mix until a double bogey on the final hole ended his challenge.
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Bridgeman pushed Brennan even closer, trailing the leader by one stroke going into the final hole. Bridgeman was looking for back-to-back titles after winning in his previous outing, the Biltmore Championship in September. But a missed birdie putt on the 17th cost him, and Brennan held his nerve on the last hole to clinch victory. He carded four birdies and one bogey in his final round.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama finished on nine-under after another mixed day in front of his home fans. Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, birdied six of the first 10 holes, but his growing challenge fizzled out when he bogeyed two consecutive holes on the back nine. “I think if I had gone to 13-, 14- or 15-under on the front nine then I would have been within sight of the leaders,” said Matsuyama. “It felt like a bit of a waste.”
Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth finished on 11-under after a final-day score of 67. Spieth was looking for his first win on the tour since April 2022. Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, the 2024 champion in Japan, finished on 6-under.
© 2024 AFP
