Out of the Rough: Baycurrent Classic (2026)

The PGA Tour’s FedExCup Fall continues on with the Tour’s lone Asian-based event with this week’s Baycurrent Classic.

Known formally as the ZOZO Championship, this season marks the eighth playing of this event. 

Each of the previous events, outside of 2020, have been played at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Inzai, Chiba, Japan.

With the switch of the title sponsorship to Baycurrent, the event was moved to the Yokohama Country Club in Kanagawa, Japan last season. This season’s event will be played at the Yokohama Country Club in Kanagawa, Japan for the second consecutive time.

The event is co-sanctioned between the PGA TOUR and the Japan Golf Tour and was first put into place in 2019 to expand the PGA TOUR’s global footprint.

Additionally, unlike what we’ve seen across the beginning of the FedExCup Fall, this week is a limited field event, seeing just 72 golfers make the field.

As previously mentioned, the Baycurrent Classic is the only PGA Tour event held on Asian soil. The now debunked WGC events once saw events played in Asia.

The Field

This event annually draws the best field of all of the FedEx Cup Fall series events. That will once again be the case this season.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele will headline this week’s field. Schauffele topped Max Greyserman by a stroke a season ago to win the event.

Home favorite and Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama will look to win on home soil for the second time at the Baycurrent Classic. He won the 2021 edition by five strokes at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

Other headlining names teeing it up this week include Collin Morikawa, Alex Noren, Chris Gotterup, Greyserman, Michael Kim, Kurt Kitayama, Sami Valimkai and Rasmus Hojgaard.

Being the lone stop in Japan, and ultimately all of Asia, there will be a strong Japanese contingent looking to match Matsuyama’s 2021 performance and win on home soil.

Other notable Japanese golfers playing this week include Keita Nakajima, Kazuki Higa, Takumi Kanaya and Ryo Hisatsune.

Other former winners of this event on Japanese soil (although at a different venue) playing this week include Nico Echavarria (2024,) Morikawa (2023) and Bradley (2022.)

The Course

The West Course at Yokohama County Club first opened in 1960 and was designed by Takeo Aiyama.

The course would more recently undergo a remodeling, spear-headed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2015.

It plays as a par-71 at roughly 7,315 yards.

The 2015 remodeling focused on elevating each of the tee boxes and adding elevation to the fairways.

In true Coore and Crenshaw design, the bunkers too were addressed to make the existing natural undulations more dramatic

Additionally, the old double greens, which once was a staple at Japanese golf courses due to the different grass types needed to allow golf year round, were replaced with single greens and a sub air system was installed to cool the bentgrass greens during the summer.

The course is known for its wide fairways that are lined by dense clusters of pine trees. 

The fairways, and course as a whole, features enough elevation changes to make things challenging.

The greens this week are heavily bunkered and are surrounded by trees as well.

Notable holes on the course include the downhill par-four fourth that features a green protected by a hidden pond on the right side. What makes this hole unique however is that a lone tree stands in the center of the fairway.

The back-nine is highlighted by the par-three 12th that plays over a water hazard onto a raised green that is surrounded by bunkers on each side.

In all, the West Course at Yokohama Country Club does a perfect job of balancing the original use of natural valleys and ridges into the remodeling of Coore and Crenshaw.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday calls for just a ten-percent chance of precipitation. Friday is calling for a 15-percent chance as Saturday is calling for a 40-percent chance of showers throughout the day. Sunday is calling for a 25-percent chance. Temperatures will begin the week with a high of 73-degrees on Thursday before ticking up to 74-degrees for Friday and Saturday. Sunday is calling for a high of 76-degrees. Winds will begin the week at eight miles-per-hour on Thursday before increasing to nine miles-per-hour for both Friday and Saturday. Winds will settle to just seven miles-per-hour on Sunday.

Key Stats

• Total Driving (75-percent average driving distance / 25-percent driving accuracy percentage)

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Proximity to the Hole from 175-plus Yards

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Scrambling

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Birdie-or-Better Percentage

• Par-Four Average Scoring

• Par-Three Average Scoring

Betting Card

Wyndham Clark (+1800)

Per my stats based model, Clark is my overall favorite to win this week. He is currently first on Tour in both SG: PUTT Bentgrass and par-three average scoring, third in birdie-or-better percentage, 16th in SG: ATG, 25th in SG: APP, 27th in par-four average scoring, 29th in scrambling, 47th in total driving, 66th in sand saves percentage and 75th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards. We last saw Clark at the Presidents Cup where he wasn’t his best, playing all five rounds and recording just a single point. However, on the PGA Tour, he last played the TOUR Championship where he placed 21st. Prior to that he won the BMW Championship and was fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He did play this event a season ago where he placed 48th. 

Matt Wallace (+3300)

Although Wallace missed the cut last week at the Bank of Utah Championship, he was on a tear between both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour prior. He placed tenth at the BMW PGA Championship, 14th at the Amgen Irish Open, ninth at the Omega European Masters and 15th at the Husqvarana British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo on the DP World Tour. Prior to that he placed seventh at the Wyndham Championship and fifth at the Rocket Classic in his latest two PGA Tour starts. Wallace is currently 13th on Tour in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 23rd in SG: APP, 27th in par-four average scoring, 28th in scrambling, 37th in SG: ATG, 40th in sand saves percentage, 53rd in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 78th in birdie-or-better percentage, 85th in total driving and 122nd in par-three average scoring. He also placed tenth at this event a season ago. 

Ben Kohles (+6600)

Beyond my better judgement, beyond Clark, Kohles was my first click this week. He has been putting on an iron clinic as of late. He currently leads the entire PGA Tour in SG: APP. He is also second in par-four average scoring, third in par-three average scoring, sixth in both birdie-or-better percentage and proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 13th in scrambling, 29th in sand saves percentage, 43rd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 62nd in SG: ATG and 123rd in total driving. Kohles lacks distance off-the-tee but is currently the most accurate driver of the golf ball the Tour has to offer. He too is in some insane form. He has made the cut in nine consecutive events. He placed 13th last week at the Bank of Utah Championship, 15th at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, 29th at the Wyndham Championship, 26th at the Rocket Classic, ninth at the 3M Open, 15th at the ISCO Championship, third at the John Deere Classic, 23rd at the U.S. Open and 29th at the RBC Canadian Open across that stretch. He has played this event prior, although at a different golf course, placing 56th in 2024. 

Stephan Jaeger (+7000)

Jaeger has been struggling as of late but did show some life last week at the Bank of Utah Championship where he placed 26th. He placed 57th at the Biltmore Championship Asheville prior. Jaeger is currently sixth on Tour in par-three average scoring, 17th in birdie-or-better percentage, 18th in both scrambling and sand saves percentage, 19th in SG: ATG, 46th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 62nd in total driving, 92nd in SG: APP, 113th in par-four average scoring and 123rd in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards. We know Jaeger, a one-time winner on the PGA Tour, to be a better golfer than his 2026 seasons suggests. It’s a matter of time before he returns to form. He also played in this event once prior, placing 40th in 2022.

2025 Betting Card 

• Hideki Matsuyama (+1800) - T20th

• Michael Kim (+4000) - T56th

• Eric Cole (+7000) - T48th