Baycurrent Classic 2026

The Baycurrent Classic returns to the PGA Tour schedule this week, with the 2026 edition taking place from October 8–11 at Yokohama Country Club in Japan. The tournament is still a relatively young event, having begun in 2019 as the Zozo Championship, but it has quickly built up an impressive roll of honour. It is also one of the more interesting stops on the FedExCup Fall schedule, with 500 FedExCup points and an $8 million purse on offer. With the main season already concluded, the Fall Series is particularly important for players trying to improve their position for the following season, secure playing privileges and climb the FedExCup standings. This year’s 72-man field is a no-cut event, adding another slightly different dynamic. 

Yokohama Country Club is a par-71 measuring 7,322 yards, with the current layout combining 16 holes from the West Course with two from the East. The course was originally designed by Takeo Aiyama and Hideo Takemura before being remodelled by the highly regarded Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. It is a very different test from the previous venue, Narashino Country Club, which hosted the tournament from 2019 through 2024. The course made its debut on the event rota last year, when Xander Schauffele produced a brilliant final round of 64 to finish at 19-under, 265, one shot ahead of Max Greyserman. That also means we should be careful about putting too much weight on historical course form this week, with only one previous edition having been played here. 

The tournament's short history certainly gives us some big names to work with. Tiger Woods won the inaugural edition in 2019 at 19-under, followed by Patrick Cantlay at 23-under in 2020, Hideki Matsuyama at 15-under in 2021, Keegan Bradley at 15-under in 2022, Collin Morikawa at 14-under in 2023, Nico Echavarria at 20-under in 2024 and Schauffele at 19-under last year. Interestingly, the winning scores have ranged from 14-under to 23-under depending on the venue, while Echavarria's 260 in 2024 remains the tournament's lowest 72-hole total. 

With Schauffele back to defend, alongside the likes of Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott, this is considerably stronger than your typical Fall Series event. For me, though, the fascinating part is the combination of a strong field, a new-ish course and the fact that we're now firmly into the season where some players are desperate to make something happen. The Baycurrent Classic has produced some excellent winners already, and with 500 FedExCup points on offer, there is still plenty to play for in Japan. 

Johnny Keefer 1.5pts ew 30/1 (10 places Powers)

Johnny Keefer arrives in Japan as one of the more interesting players in the field, with the 25-year-old beginning the FedExCup Fall in excellent form. He has finished inside the top 10 in both of his Fall starts, recording a T7 at the Biltmore Championship Asheville before following it with a T10 at the Bank of Utah Championship last week. Seven of his eight rounds across those two events have been in the 60s, and remarkably he has fired a Saturday 62 in both tournaments. 

Keefer makes his Baycurrent Classic debut this week, but there is plenty about his game to suggest Yokohama Country Club could suit him. He ranks 12th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, 29th in Approach and fourth in Greens in Regulation, while his 320.7-yard driving average also ranks 12th. The obvious weakness has been the putter, with Keefer sitting just 125th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the season. Encouragingly, however, that club has started to warm up, with Keefer gaining an average of 0.448 strokes putting over his last five starts, including an excellent putting performance during that Saturday 62 in Utah. 

A maiden PGA Tour victory increasingly feels like a matter of when rather than if for Keefer. Alongside his two recent top-10s, he has already finished T3 twice this season, at the Texas Children's Houston Open and Genesis Scottish Open, showing that he is capable of contending against stronger fields.  With a no-cut format guaranteeing him four rounds this week, his ability to go extremely low is particularly appealing. If Keefer can continue striking the ball as he has and keep the putter performing above its usual level, Japan could provide a very good opportunity for him to capture that maiden PGA Tour title.

Takumi Kanaya 1pt ew 50/1 (10 places Powers)

Takumi Kanaya’s 2026 PGA Tour season has been nothing to write home about, with nine missed cuts from 23 starts and no top-10 finishes to his name. A return to Japanese soil, however, could be exactly what he needs to ignite his Fall Series. Kanaya clearly feels comfortable at Yokohama Country Club, having finished inside the top seven in both of his last two appearances here, including an excellent T4 in last year’s Baycurrent Classic. He closed that week in spectacular fashion too, firing a 62 to climb the leaderboard. 

There are certainly reasons to believe he can rediscover something this week. Kanaya’s short game remains one of his biggest strengths, ranking 21st on Tour in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and 27th in Putting, while he also ranks 21st for bogey avoidance. Those are particularly useful attributes around a course where scrambling and converting opportunities can make the difference. 

His recent results might not inspire much confidence, but a player with Kanaya’s record at this venue is difficult to ignore. If he can rediscover the ball-striking that has been missing for much of 2026 and continue to rely on that tidy work around the greens, a return to the scene of last year’s T4 could provide the spark he desperately needs.

Lee Hodges 1pt ew 55/1 (10 places bet365)

Lee Hodges has been relatively lightly raced in 2026, with just 19 starts, but he has made the cut in 12 of them and picked up two top-10 finishes. The first came at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he finished T6, before an excellent T3 at the John Deere Classic. More recently, he arrives in Japan off the back of a T13 at the Bank of Utah Championship, shooting a final-round 64, so there are signs that another strong week could be around the corner. 

Hodges finished only T40 here last year at four-under, but that result doesn't tell the whole story. He opened with a disappointing 76 before responding brilliantly with a 66 — a ten-shot swing in just 24 hours — and followed that with rounds of 68 and 70. He has also finished T16 here in 2024, so there is some evidence that Yokohama Country Club suits his game. 

The underlying numbers are encouraging too. Hodges ranks 44th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, 67th in Approach and 58th in Putting, while his 70.24% Greens in Regulation rate is good enough for 15th on Tour. His overall Strokes Gained: Total figure of +0.353 ranks 63rd. The ingredients are certainly there; now he just needs to put everything together for four rounds. If Hodges can build on last week’s T13 and find the confidence to produce a standout performance, I wouldn't be surprised to see him considerably higher up the leaderboard this time around. 

Open de Espana 2026

The Open de España is one of the highlights of the DP World Tour’s autumn schedule, with this year’s edition taking place at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid from October 8–11. The historic Spanish national open dates all the way back to 1912 and has been a regular part of the European Tour/DP World Tour since 1972. The Madrid venue is a traditional par-71, tree-lined layout designed by Javier Arana, where accuracy off the tee and quality ball-striking are particularly important. It can yield plenty of birdies when conditions are favourable, although the small, undulating greens can make things considerably tougher when they firm up. 

There is plenty of history to get excited about, particularly for the home fans. Jon Rahm has dominated the modern event, winning three times in 2018, 2019 and 2022, including an incredible 25-under-par winning total in 2022. Rafa Cabrera-Bello won in 2021, Matthieu Pavon in 2023, Ángel Hidalgo in 2024 and Marco Penge claimed last year's title after defeating Dan Brown in a playoff at 15-under. The last four editions have all produced different winners, with three going to a playoff, so despite Rahm's remarkable record, this has become an event where outsiders can certainly make their mark. 

This year's renewal looks particularly strong, with Rahm, Penge, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed and Ludvig Åberg among the headline names. With 5,000 Race to Dubai points on offer and a place in the 2027 Masters going to the winner, there is plenty at stake as the season enters its closing stages. The home support will inevitably make Rahm the centre of attention, but with the likes of Hidalgo and other Spanish contenders also involved, Madrid should provide a cracking week of DP World Tour golf. 

Angel Ayora 2pts ew 25/1 (10 places Boyles)

Ángel Ayora heads back to Madrid with a real opportunity to rediscover the form that made him one of the DP World Tour’s most promising young players. The Spaniard enjoyed a superb rookie campaign last season, recording 10 top-10 finishes — the most of any player on Tour — and finishing 20th in the Race to Dubai. He also has good memories of this event, finishing T10 at the Open de España last year at 10-under, alongside fellow Spaniards Jon Rahm and David Puig.

His 2026 season has been less productive, and his limited PGA Tour appearances haven't gone to plan either, but a return to home soil could be the spark he needs. Ayora has already demonstrated that he can handle the demands of Club de Campo, and with the home support behind him, I wouldn't be surprised to see the 21-year-old produce another strong showing in Madrid and put himself into contention for a maiden DP World Tour victory.

Jayden Trey Schaper 1pt ew 50/1 (10 places Boyles)

 Jayden Trey Schaper heads back to Club de Campo Villa de Madrid with some seriously encouraging course form. The South African finished fifth here last year, closing with a 67 to reach 11-under, and that result wasn't a flash in the pan — his scoring average of 68.50 over eight rounds at Club de Campo ranks among the best in this week's field.

His recent form has been a little more inconsistent, with a T11 at the KLM Open his standout result since June, but Schaper has shown enough around this venue to make him interesting again. He has the added incentive of being one of the players battling for valuable Race to Dubai points at this late stage of the season. Given his previous success in Madrid and an ability to go low around Club de Campo, another strong showing could be on the cards if he can rediscover his best form this week.

Gregorio de Leo 1pt ew 100/1 (10 places bet365)

Gregorio De Leo comes into the Open de España with some quietly impressive form behind him. The Italian has already recorded five top-10 finishes in 2026, including a fourth at the Austrian Alpine Open and an eighth at the Soudal Open, before producing his best result of the recent run with a T5 at the Irish Open in September. He followed that with a T28 in France, so there are enough positive signs to suggest another big week could be coming. 

De Leo has also been one of the more prolific eagle-makers on the DP World Tour this season, with 12 eagles — tied for the most on Tour — highlighting the attacking side of his game. He ranks particularly well for putting and sand saves, while his recent run shows he can compete when his ball-striking clicks.  With no previous Open de España result to lean on, this is more about current form, and De Leo looks an interesting outsider if he can reproduce the level of golf that saw him contend in Ireland.