Baycurrent Classic 2025 Predictions: Schauffele has ‘X’ Factor

• The event is co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and Japan Golf Tour

• Yokohama Country Club hosts for the first time 

• Xander Schauffele is the betting favorite

Baycurrent Classic 2025 Odds

Odds from bet365 sportsbook. Sign up at bet365 with our promo code WSN365 and claim $200 in bonus bets with a $5 wager.

Baycurrent Classic 2025 Predictions

• Xander Schauffle to win at +1100 with BetMGM

• Michael Thorbjornsen to beat Wyndham Clark over 72 holes at -120 with bet365

• Sahith Theegala for Top 20 at +300 with BetMGM

Baycurrent Classic 2025 Intro

If the title of the tournament seems unfamiliar at first glance, this is the event formerly known as the ZOZO Championship and is the PGA TOUR’s annual trip to Japan.

Five of the previous six were staged at Narashino Country Club in Chiba after Sherwood CC in California stood in during the pandemic-hit 2020 season.

But this year, to the frustration of #teamcourseform, we have a new host venue.

Yokohama Country Club is typical of Japanese courses in many ways however as it’s tree-lined and not too long at 7,315 yards.

Unusually, it has just two par 5s (Nos. 4 and 6) and three par 3s while all but one of the last 11 holes is a par 4. 

If we dig a little deeper there is actually some course form to be found as it’s staged a trio of Japan Golf Tour events.  

They were won with scores of -14, -13 and -22, the latter achieved in calm conditions.

As was the case last year, the front three in the betting are Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and local man Hideki Matsuyama.

The field comprises just 78 players and there is no cut.

Winners of the Baycurrent Classic (formerly ZOZO)

Course Notes

• The layout uses 16 holes from the West Course and two from the East 

• The parkland track was revamped by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw

• Fairways are generous while the rough is around three inches 

• Greens are bentgrass but are on the slower side due to their undulations

• The weather forecast suggests a windy opening day and a chance of rain throughout

Favorites to Win the Baycurrent Classic 2025

Xander Schauffele (+1000) at bet365

Schauffele has Japanese heritage which made it that more thrilling when he won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021. But he’s not enjoyed the same success in this event and finishes of 10-28-9-38-41 are below expectations given that he’s always been near the front of the betting. After landing two majors in 2024, Schauffele hasn’t lifted any silverware in 2025 although he was joint-top scorer for the United States in last month’s Ryder Cup after winning three of his four matches. Could that be a big hint?

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Hideki Matsuyama (+1400) at bet365

Matsuyama is one of 17 Japanese players in the field but he’s the home hope carrying by far the most expectations. He delivered this title in 2021, a couple of months after taking a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics. But his last three starts in this event produced finishes of 40-51-46 so he hasn’t always thrived on home soil. He arrives on a run of seven straight top 30s, five of those doubling as top 20s. Matsuyama was tied 13th in the PGA Championship in England the last time he pegged it up.   

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Collin Morikawa (+1600) at bet365

Morikawa also has strong Japanese links so it meant a lot to him when he took this trophy in 2023. A superb 7-under 63 on Sunday secured a six-shot success and ended a 27-month winless drought. However, he hasn’t added a trophy since and has underwhelmed in recent times. He managed only half a point in the Ryder Cup, has logged just a single top 10 since March and only took 54th when defending this title last year.  

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Schauffele has ‘X’ Factor 

This event has been held on Japanese soil five times previously and four of those were won by major winners.

Justin Thomas almost continued the streak last year but was edged out (by a shot) by Nico Echavarria.

But it makes sense to go with a class act again and I’m going to back Schauffele to end his winless streak.

After becoming a new Dad recently, he was undercooked going into the Ryder Cup in terms of competitive golf but the other side of that coin, of course, is freshness.

Schauffele was one of the few Americans to come out of Bethpage Black with some credit in the bank and he can turn that into another positive here.

The change of venue should help too given that he didn’t seem to find his best on the previous course.

His gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics shows he can hit the heights on Japanese soil so back Schauffele, who was just +450 to win this year, at +1100 with BetMGM.

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Thorbjornsen to Beat Clark

For this week’s 72-hole match bet, I’ll take Michael Thorbjornsen to beat Wyndham Clark.

Thorbjornsen is one of the shiny, bright new stars of the PGA TOUR and he already has a second and two fourths to his name.

The 24-year-old has continued his good play in the Fall Series with 13th in the Procure and 29th at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship where he ranked 1st for Greens in Regulation.

Clark, after some average play, popped at The Open Championship with a fast-finishing fourth but in his two latest starts (both in August) he went 56-MC and lost strokes on the greens in both.

This is a first start for Thorbjornsen in Japan but, on current form, he should justify his -120 odds with bet365.

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Theegala for Top 20

For a Top 20 bet, let’s try Sahith Theegala.

Those odds would have seemed far-fetched at the start of the year but it’s been a difficult one after injuries and swing adjustments. 

However, Theegala is feeling fit again, showed some good signs in his 38th place at the Procure last time and is more than capable of making the top 20 in this limited 78-man field.

Take the +300 with BetMGM.

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How to Watch the Baycurrent Classic 2025

• Tournament: Baycurrent Classic 2025

• Location: Yokohama Country Club, Yokohama, Japan 

• Date: Thursday October 09 - Sunday October 12

• How to Watch: Wednesday-Saturday 11 p.m.-3 a.m. (Golf Channel). And all four days on Sky Sports