Xander Schauffele's title defense ends with top-five finish at Baycurrent Classic in Japan

A year after lifting the trophy in Japan, Xander Schauffele was right back in the mix at the Baycurrent Classic, finishing T4 at 13-under 271.

The two-time major champion carded a final-round 4-under 67 Sunday, finishing three strokes behind winner Michael Brennan. Schauffele entered the weekend at 3 under after opening with rounds of 70 and 69 before making his move Saturday with a 6-under 65, his lowest round of the tournament.

Schauffele carried that momentum into Sunday, climbing to 15 under after draining a 17-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th to give himself an opportunity to contend for his second consecutive title in Japan. He took an aggressive approach on the par-4 18th, where a wayward tee shot ultimately led to a closing double bogey.

“I figured maybe 16 was enough for a playoff. It may not be, it may get to 17, so it was driver all day,” Schauffele said. “And yeah, no regrets on being aggressive trying to get myself in a spot to win.”

Schauffele saw plenty of positives in his game this week, especially with his irons after a year in which his approach play hadn't quite met his expectations.

“I hit a lot of really good shots. I definitely played good enough golf to win this tournament,” Schauffele said. “Obviously I'd like a lot of those shots back at this point, but overall I think I struck it well and hit a lot of quality shots throughout the week, which was a nice thing to see after a downtick year in approach.”

Japan has been good to Schauffele. Last year, he held off Max Greyserman by one stroke at 19 under to capture his 10th PGA Tour title.

The country has long held a special place for Schauffele, whose maternal grandparents live in Tokyo. The 32-year-old has visited regularly since childhood and captured Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

This year's trip carried additional significance for Schauffele and his family. He was joined by his wife, Maya, and their son, Victor, who had the opportunity to meet his great-grandparents for the first time.

“Family's been awesome,” Schauffele said. “I saw parts of my family throughout the course, and the fans have been awesome cheering me along. I know I'm not Japanese, but they kind of treat me like their own so I appreciate it very much.”

While Schauffele didn't leave Yokohama with another trophy, his weekend rounds of 65 and 67 provided plenty of positives as he closed out another memorable week in Japan.