Schauffele Shares Lead at Baycurrent Classic, Eyes First Win of the Season

Xander Schauffele moved a step closer to his first victory of the year after carding a composed four-under-par 67 in difficult weather conditions at the Baycurrent Classic on Saturday. The American now shares the lead with compatriot Max Greyserman at 12-under heading into Sunday’s final round at Yokohama Country Club.

Schauffele, who captured both the British Open and PGA Championship in 2024, has yet to lift a trophy this season and has managed just three top-10 finishes. The 31-year-old, still recovering from the disappointment of Team USA’s Ryder Cup loss two weeks ago, said he was focused on rebuilding his confidence.

“Confidence is a tricky thing,” Schauffele said after the round. “It takes a while to grow and can go away quickly. I’m just trying to put one step after another and slowly grow that confidence. So far, we’ve been doing that.”

Playing through steady rain that drenched the course, Schauffele recorded six birdies and two bogeys, overcoming challenging conditions to erase Greyserman’s four-shot overnight advantage.

“The weather’s been tricky, so I’m proud of the fight to stay in it today,” he added. “Round one felt like survival, round two was more scoreable, and today felt like survival again — just with less rain at times.”

Greyserman, who is still chasing his maiden PGA Tour title, stumbled with a double bogey on the seventh hole but managed to steady himself to finish with an even-par 71. Despite losing his lead, the 30-year-old remains optimistic as he heads into the final round tied at the top.

“I played a good round last year on Sunday and got beat, but I don’t think I gave up the tournament by any means,” Greyserman said, referring to his runner-up finish to Colombia’s Nico Echavarria at the same event last year. “I handled everything well and executed well, so that’s the plan for tomorrow.”

Defending champion Echavarria remains within striking distance at nine-under, three shots off the lead. He shares third place with South Koreans An Byeong-hun and Kim Si-woo, South African Garrick Higgo, and American Michael Thorbjornsen.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who double-bogeyed late in his round, sits at four-under, while Schauffele’s Ryder Cup teammate Collin Morikawa lags 10 shots behind the leaders at two-under.

With rain forecast again for the final round, the stage is set for a tense finish as Schauffele aims to reclaim the form that made him one of last season’s standout players — and end his year-long title drought in style.