The Baycurrent Classic is a cherished tournament for Xander Schauffele. It’s not simply the opportunity to defend his title, but rather it’s a homecoming each time the 32-year-old returns to Japan.
“I’ve been coming here since I was roughly 10 years old,” Schauffele said. “It sort of feels like in some way a home away from home. Definitely feel comfortable being here and appreciate the culture here in Japan a lot.”
Schauffele has made the trip to Japan many times over the last twenty years to visit his maternal grandparents who live in Tokyo, where he won gold for Team USA at the Olympics back in 2021.
This year he made the trip with his wife, Maya and one-year-old son, Victor, who he said would get the chance to meet his great grandparents for the very first time on Tuesday. In addition to Schauffele’s grandparents, Victor will also have the chance to meet Maya’s grandfather who lives in Miyako-jima.
“That will be a really cool moment, a lot of generations of family will be there,” Schauffele explained. “It’s kind of what it’s all about, so it’s pretty cool we’re able to get everyone together.”
Schauffele will tee it up at the Baycurrent for the eighth consecutive time on Thursday at Yokohama Country Club, where the tournament is being held for the second year in a row. Last year, he earned his 10th career win on the course located just 20 miles southwest of Tokyo, when he shot 19 under and narrowly escaped Max Greyserman by just a stroke.
“Really cool moment for me in my career to perform at a really high level at a place that I hold dear,” Schauffele reflected. “Definitely looking forward to creating more of those moments.”
As far as the course at Yokohama, Schauffele said he feels pretty comfortable on the grasses in Japan and that a different approach is needed than at home in the U.S. He emphasized the importance of keeping the ball in the fairways this week, as the rough can be difficult to gauge, noting that it’s been pounded by about 40 days of rain recently.
“I think the course is in really good shape all things considered,” Schauffele added. “I think traditionally Japanese grass, the greens are some sort of bent, which roll really pure, usually a wider blade grass. For the Tokyo Olympics, it was sort of similar fairway grass, some sort of Zoysia or kikuyu.”
