Xander Schauffele is on the brink of claiming one of the most emotional victories of his career.
No, not because he was seldom in contention this year after returning from a rib injury and failed to make the Tour Championship for the first time. And not because he’s trying to avenge Team USA’s recent Ryder Cup defeat. Or because he hasn’t won since the 2024 British Open.
Hoisting the Baycurrent Classic’s trophy in Japan would be for his family.
“It would be special, obviously, my grandparents here, my mom growing up here with her brother as well,” Schauffele said after a third-round 67 at Yokohama Country Club.
Schauffele co-leads at 12 under par with Max Greyserman, who finished runner-up at this event a year ago. They are both three strokes clear of the rest of the field.
And to get a share of the 54-hole lead, they had to withstand some brutal conditions.
“Round 1 felt like survival,” Schauffele said. “Round 2 felt like the course was pretty gettable and today felt like a bit of survival with pockets of a little bit less rain. Just lean on your caddie pretty hard. I’m sure Austin [Kaiser, Schauffele’s caddie] wished he had another arm.”
Greyserman, meanwhile, has had four runner-ups in the last two years while chasing his maiden PGA Tour title. Playing in the final round with a two-time major winner won’t faze him, though.
After a Saturday 67, co-leader @XSchauffele has a chance at his first win of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/wDvyqitICs
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 11, 2025
“I played with him today,” the 30-year-old said, “so there’s one thing I can draw from, but whether I play with Xander or, I don’t know, Tiger [Woods] in his prime or any other guy out here, it’s the same golf. So I do think the crowd is rooting for Xander a little more than other people; I could sense that a little bit today.
“But plenty of past experience. Final group on a Sunday, I’ve done that before, done that probably a couple times. Just go out there and do the same thing I do every day.”
Who will be part of the gallery? Schauffele’s 91-year-old grandfather, who walked all 18 holes Saturday, and his 81-year-old grandmother.
They hope to see their grandson’s 10th Tour triumph in person. And it would be the 31-year-old’s first victory as a father.
“[Winning is] far away from now,” Schauffele said, “but yeah, to think into the future, it would be an incredible feeling.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Xander Schauffele Co-Leads Baycurrent Classic in Pursuit of Emotional Win .
