After Austin Smotherman claimed the Bank of Utah Championship last week, the PGA Tour heads east for the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club in Japan.
Xander Schauffele has been chalked up as favourite after his success 12 months ago, when the venue hosted the tournament for the first time and first-round leader Greyserman gave the two-time major winner plenty to think about.
The tight track will demand strong course management rather than brute force off the tee and the 72-player field will be just as keen to get off to a fast start, despite there being no cut in operation this week.
Baycurrent Classic First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best bet - Doug Ghim each-way @ 28/1
Alternative bet - Michael Thorbjornsen each-way @ 30/1
Alternative bet - Jackson Suber each-way @ 40/1
Baycurrent Classic First-Round Leader Prediction
Best bet: Doug Ghim each-way @ 28/1
Doug Ghim's recent form suggests he could make a big early impression in Yokohama.
He ranks second in the PGA Tour first-round-scoring charts and has hit a purple patch, following three straight top-20 finishes with his second-place finish at last week's Bank of Utah Championship behind Austin Smotherman.
Ghim started with a 65 at the Black Desert Resort, having posted the same opening number at the Rocket Classic and going one better at the Wyndham Championship.
He is also second in the tour's greens-in-regulation standings, which will serve him well on a course where strong course management and accuracy matter more than length off the tee.
Ghim has failed to break 70 in just two of his last 15 opening spins, so his confidence levels could make him a strong player in the first-round-leader market.
Alternative bet: Michael Thorbjornsen each-way @ 30/1
Michael Thorbjornsen won his first PGA Tour title at the Rocket Classic at the start of August and has made strong starts in both of his subsequent showings.
He shot an opening 65 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and a first-round 66 at the BMW Championship.
Thorbjornsen was unable to build on either effort, but he enjoyed this course last year, finishing third behind Schauffele and Greyserman.
This is the first tournament in which he has featured since his experience in the FedEx Cup playoffs, but that should have given the potential star plenty of belief that he will not be overawed when competing against the best players the game has to offer.
Alternative bet: Jackson Suber each-way @ 40/1
Another player to watch in the early stages of this week's Yokohama gathering is Jackson Suber, who could fly out of the blocks and give those looking to come out on top of the 72-player field plenty to think about.
Suber's recent performances have been mixed, but one thing has stood out: his strong play on Thursdays, which have him ranked fifth in the PGA Tour's first-round-scoring charts.
Since missing the cut in June's US Open, he has not shot over 68 in any of his eight opening rounds, so don't be surprised if the player who has finished fourth in both the Canadian Open and the CJ Cup this year manages to make an early impression in one of the biggest tournaments left on the 2026 PGA Tour calendar.
Key Tournament Stats
This is the second time the Yokohama Country Club has hosted the Baycurrent Classic after making its PGA Tour debut last year
Xander Schauffele won in 2025, claiming a one-shot victory
Keita Nakajima and Ren Yonezawa are the other course winners in this week's field
Max Greyserman, Brian Campbell and Bud Cauley took the first-round leader honours at last year's Baycurrent Classic with opening spins of 67
US Open champion and world number five Wyndham Clark is the highest ranked player in this week's field
This is a tight tree-lined course, so accurate performers have the edge over big hitters
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
