It has been two weeks since the USA claimed their latest Presidents Cup victory over the Internationals and many of Brandt Sendeker’s victorious team head to Yokohama Country Club in Japan for this week’s Baycurrent Classic.
This is the second year that the course has hosted the PGA Tour event with Xander Schauffele heading east to defend the trophy he claimed with a one-shot success 12 months ago.
The 72-player, no cut event has attracted a strong field with many of the game’s biggest names enticed to Japan for the battle for valuable FedEx Cup points.
Baycurrent Classic betting picks and predictions
Doug Ghim to win Baycurrent Classic (+2200)
While Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and US Open champion Wyndham Clark are the big-name Americans at the head of the market, there is potential for others to make their presence felt and Doug Ghim is one of those.
He makes his Yokohama Country Club debut this week but as the player who stands third in the PGA Tour’s greens-in regulation statistics, it is a challenge he should be equal to with course management much more important, with the many doglegs, than brute strength off the tee.
Results have been going Ghim’s way of late after he followed three straight top-20 finishes with second spot at last week’s Bank of Utah Championship.
He finished two shots behind Austin Smotherman on Sunday with an effort that included a second-round 62 and he could prove to be a strong contender this week, particularly when many of his rivals towards the top of the market are coming off a five-week break following the conclusion of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Ryan Gerard to win Baycurrent Classic (+2200)
Ryan Gerard is another competitor who has kept himself fresh and he should be confident he can improve upon the 27th place he posted at the Baycurrent last year.
He made a slow start on that occasion, but grew into the tournament and he has had an impressive few months.
Gerard was second at the Memorial Tournament and has also had top-10 finishes at the Open Championship and the Rocket Classic.
He had a playoffs season to remember as he finished third at the Tour Championship, which would have provided a huge confidence boost that he is capable of competing against the biggest names in the biggest tournaments.
He then went on to perform well in European tournaments, including 14th last time out at the Open de France, so his game is clearly in a good place and an improvement on what he achieved 12 months ago looks well within his capabilities.
Matt Wallace to win Baycurrent Classic (+3300)
Good form over the last few months should stand any Baycurrent Classic entrant in good stead for a strong challenge in Japan, and Englishman Matt Wallace looks to fall firmly in that bracket.
Admittedly, he was unable to make the weekend at last week’s Bank of Utah Championship as he fell just a shot shy of the cut line, but not only are there no concerns on that score this week, but those extra days off may be welcomed after a busy recent run of outings.
Wallace will have been content with runner-up finishes at the Texas Open and the Italian Open, but he has really kicked into gear since the beginning of August.
Top 10s were attained at the Rocket Classic, Wyndham Championship, European Masters and the signature event on the DP World Tour, the BMW PGA Championship, which will have given him a big lift and helped him get ready for a challenge of this scale.
Wallace found the Yokohama Country Club to his liking last year even if it did take a little time for the relationship to develop.
An opening 74 was a disappointment, but he recovered well to finish 10th in the strong field and he heads into this tournament knowing he can prove a match for any other player who has made the long journey to be involved in one of the biggest tournaments that will feature on the PGA Tour in the remainder of the year.
Baycurrent Classic odds
Xander Schauffele | +900 |
Collin Morikawa | +1400 |
Wyndham Clark | +1400 |
Hideki Matsuyama | +1600 |
Justin Thomas | +1800 |
Doug Ghim | +2200 |
Jacob Bridgeman | +2200 |
Min Woo Lee | +2200 |
Ryan Gerard | +2200 |
Adam Scott | +2500 |
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.
