England’s Jordan Smith enjoyed a strong start to the Baycurrent Classic with a bogey-free seven-under 64, leaving him one stroke behind first-round leader Jacob Bridgeman in Japan.
Smith, who has made 17 of 23 cuts and recorded eight top-25 finishes with a best third at the Valspar Championship since earning a PGA Tour card for 2026, recorded four birdies on his front nine and three coming home at Yokohama Country Club.
The 33-year-old said: “I’m very happy. I wouldn’t say I had my best stuff out there today, but there were a lot of good short shots, a lot of good putts. It was a nice day out there.”
On his season as a whole, after securing a tour card based on his performances on the DP World Tour in 2025, Smith added: “Everything is very new – new faces, new places, new golf courses.
“To adjust to that quickly, I’m really happy with that. I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s been good fun.”
Bogey-free Bridgeman takes the lead with Schauffele seven behind
Bridgeman set the pace with an eight-under 63 — the 26-year-old will also be free and making it four in a row at one point — as he chases a second win in as many starts, after last month’s Biltmore Championship Asheville, and third of the season.
A week after his victory in North Carolina on September 20, Bridgeman was involved in Team USA’s stunning comeback to defeat an international team in the Presidents Cup, winning singles on Sunday against Min Woo Lee with a 17-13 success.
America trailed 10.5-7.5 going into the final day in Medina, but then won nine of 12 singles matches and tied another.
Xander Schauffele – who beat Open champion Ryan Fox 2&1 in the final singles match at the Presidents Cup – is the defending champion at the Baycurrent Classic.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele started the Baycurrent Classic with a one-under 70
The two-time major winner shot a one-under 70 in the first round, mixing four birdies with three bogeys, to sit outside the top 30.
Schauffele’s compatriots Max Homa, Pierceson Coody, Mac Meissner and Ricky Castillo share third place, behind Bridgeman and Smith, at six under par, with 2024 champion Nico Echavarria four off the lead, four under and just outside the top 10.
The Baycurrent Classic, formerly known as the Zozo Championship, was played for the first time in 2019 when Tiger Woods took the title after defeating local player Hideki Matsuyama by three shots.
It has been played in Japan every year since 2020, when it was moved to California due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Watch the second round of the Baycurrent Classic live Sky Sports Golf from 4 o’clock on Friday. Coverage also increases Sky Sports’ main event from 5 am. The latest Sky Sports offers OR broadcast with NOW.
