The Baycurrent Classic in Japan was one of the most fulfilling tournaments of Xander Schauffele’s career.
Yes, it’s where on Sunday he claimed his 10th PGA Tour title and $1.44 million. It's also his first win since the 2024 British Open. But there’s more to it than that.
“The ties run deep for the Schauffele family here in Japan,” Schauffele said.
How so?
“I’ve been coming here since I was about 9 years old to visit my grandparents,” Schauffele said. “I sort of fell in love with this country a long time ago. I can’t wait to bring my son here when he’s old enough to sort of understand and appreciate the culture here in Japan.”
Now, as a 31-year-old, Schauffele, in front of his grandparents, along with many other family members, emerged victorious at the Baycurrent Classic by one stroke over Max Greyserman.
“I was plenty nervous,” said Schauffele, who finished at 18 over par with a final-round 64. “It's been over a year since I was even looking at winning a golf tournament. I was probably just as nervous or more nervous as they were just because I knew I’ve done it before and I had to dig kind of deep in my memory to do it again.”
Schauffele, who's from San Diego, entered the final round tied for the lead with Greyserman, a 30-year-old American who finished runner-up last year at this event, and they were still knotted making the turn Sunday at Yokohama Country Club. However, Schauffele hit his approach on the 10th hole to 2 feet for birdie, and never looked back.
The two-time major champion then essentially sealed the deal on Nos. 13 and 14 with two birdies, including a 22-foot birdie putt on No. 14.
Back-to-back birdies coming down the stretch 👀@XSchauffele leads by one with four to go @Baycurrent_Clsc.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 12, 2025
📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/cIFdLWv4jb
Greyserman, meanwhile, needed an eagle to tie to force a playoff on the par-4 18th, and nearly did the unthinkable, hitting his approach from 182 yards out to a foot. He tapped in for birdie, settling for his fifth runner-up in the last two years.
“I could take this a few different ways,” said Greyserman, who’s still looking for his first Tour win. “Another second would be one thought, disappointed would be another thought, but also on the flip side I could say I played really well. I shot 65 on Sunday when I was tied for the lead and in the last group, so a lot of good.
“It's like I don't really know how to feel because I’m obviously very disappointed, but it’s the PGA Tour, you need to play exceptional on a Sunday to win a golf tournament. I played great, but I just didn’t play good enough.”
Schauffele, though, did. And beginning his year with a rib injury that sidelined him for nearly two months, he can now exhale, having entered the winner’s circle before the season ended, despite barely being in contention between March and August.
“Definitely had doubts,” Schauffele said. I think every player in any sport at some point in time you feel like you’re on top of the world and then you feel like, not that you’ve lost it, but you feel less confident. I have a really good team around me, they pick me up when I’m down.
“This is really special for me. Sooner than I thought, to be fair. I was running out of events in 2025 to sort of 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.”
That extends off the course, too, becoming a first-time father last month. That perhaps gave him a new mindset inside the ropes and pushed him to one of the most meaningful wins of his career.
“I definitely felt different after Maya [Schauffele’s wife] and I had our first son,” he said. “I’m a young dad I guess, he’s only just over six weeks old, but yeah it’s weird, I'd do anything for him. That part mentally feels different than anything else that—I haven’t really identified exactly what it is, it’s still kind of fresh, but it’s definitely a cool thing being a dad and I’m so excited to go home to him and Maya after this.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Xander Schauffele's Strange, Winless Year Finally Ends With Emotional Baycurrent Victory.
