Jacob Bridgeman leads, Max Homa among pack chasing after first round in Japan
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Highlights | Round 1 | Baycurrent Classic
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Players in This Article
Whether you want to call it a late-night or early-morning start, the Baycurrent Classic has officially kicked off in Yokohama, Japan, and there was no shortage of action coming from the first round at Yokohama Country Club.
Jacob Bridgeman came out firing on Thursday, carding a bogey-free, 8-under 63 in his first round back since rolling in the winning putt for the U.S. Team at the 2026 Presidents Cup. The No. 1 putter in the world has continued his great form around the green, ranking first in Strokes Gained: Putting through the opening 18 holes.
After taking a week off following the Presidents Cup and dealing with the jet lag that comes with the 16-hour time zone difference between Las Vegas and Japan, Bridgeman wasn’t sure what this week would hold for him.
“I slept a good bit on the plane and then came out here and played nine on Tuesday. I just felt really weird, didn't really get much accomplished because being on a plane that long,” Bridgeman said following his first round, which included eight birdies. “I felt a little rusty to be honest, but I was able to score the ball well and I felt like I put the ball in positions where when I made a little mistake, it was pretty easy to recover.”
Jacob Bridgeman sinks 11-foot birdie putt on No. 7 at Baycurrent
For Englishman Jordan Smith, playing in Japan has become familiar during his time on the DP World Tour, and it was apparent on Thursday as he sits one stroke back after firing off a bogey-free, 7-under 64.
Smith has made the most of his first full season on the PGA Tour, making 17 of 23 cuts with six top-20 finishes, including a solo third-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. A victory this week in Japan would surely cap off an eventful rookie season, with the added benefit of a FedExCup Fall win assuring a place on the 2028 PGA Tour Championship Series.
“I'm very, very happy,” Smith said. “Coming over to the PGA Tour, everything's very, very new, new faces, new places, new golf courses. Yeah, to adapt that quickly, I'm very happy with that. But I've enjoyed it a lot, it's been good fun.”
Pierceson Coody, Mac Meissner, Ricky Castillo and Max Homa share a tie for third at 6 under.
While they share the same score, each player's journey to 6 under varied.
Meissner went out in an even-par 35, but caught fire on the back nine with four birdies and an eagle to cap a 65.
Castillo holed out on the 378-yard par-4 15th (his sixth hole of the day) and continued a steady diet of birdies to reach his 18-hole number.
Homa carded five birdies on the front nine, but came down to earth after bogeying the par-4 11th hole. He made his last birdie of the day on No. 16 to finish with a 65.
Max Homa sinks 19-foot birdie putt on No. 8 at Baycurrent
Five players sit three shots back at 5 under, including Keith Mitchell, Kristoffer Ventura, Michael Thorbjornsen, Andrew Putnam and David Lipsky.
Fellow Japanese countrymen and Presidents Cup playing partners Ryo Hisatsune and Hideki Matsuyama, who won the event in 2021, sit at 4 under, along with the International Team’s Min Woo Lee and U.S. Team’s Collin Morikawa.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele sits seven shots back after a first-round 1-under 70. Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, each making their fall debut, carded 72 and 73, respectively, to be T52 and T62 in the 72-man field with no 36-hole cut.
