Jacob Bridgeman Leads Baycurrent Classic as Max Homa Joins Chasing Pack

• Jacob Bridgeman shot a bogey-free 63 to lead the Baycurrent Classic.
• England’s Jordan Smith is second after a bogey-free 64.
• Max Homa shares third place with Pierceson Coody, Mac Meissner and Ricky Castillo.

Jacob Bridgeman continued his winning momentum with a bogey-free 8-under 63 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Baycurrent Classic in Yokohama, Japan.

The American made eight birdies at Yokohama Country Club to finish one stroke ahead of Jordan Smith, with Max Homa among a four-man group a further shot behind.

Bridgeman’s putter sets the pace

Bridgeman led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting through the opening 18 holes, matching his lowest first-round score on the PGA Tour. He also opened with a 63 at the 2024 3M Open.

His latest low round came in his first competitive appearance since securing the winning point for the United States at the Presidents Cup at Medinah. After a week off and the long flight to Japan, he played nine holes on Tuesday before the tournament began.

“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,” said Bridgeman.

Bridgeman is chasing victories in successive PGA Tour starts after winning the Biltmore Championship Asheville in his most recent Tour appearance. He claimed his first Tour title at the Genesis Invitational in February and finished fourth in the season’s FedExCup standings.

Thursday gave him his fourth 18-hole lead or co-lead on Tour. He has converted one of the previous three into victory, at the Genesis, where he led or shared the lead after every round.

Smith and Homa close behind

Smith made his tournament debut with a bogey-free 64 during his first full PGA Tour season.

He has made 17 cuts in 23 starts this season and recorded six top-20 finishes, including third place at the Valspar Championship.

“Coming over to the PGA Tour, everything’s very, very new, new faces, new places, new golf courses,” said Smith. “Yeah, to adapt that quickly, I’m very happy with that. But I’ve enjoyed it a lot, it’s been good fun.”

Homa’s 65 was his lowest score in 13 rounds at the event. Five front-nine birdies helped build his challenge before a bogey at the par-4 11th; he added a birdie at the 16th to finish two shots behind Bridgeman.

Meissner did his damage on the back nine, following an even-par outward 35 with four birdies and an eagle for his 65. Castillo holed out for eagle at the 378-yard par-4 15th, his sixth hole of the day, while Coody also finished at 6-under.

Keith Mitchell, Kristoffer Ventura, Michael Thorbjornsen, Andrew Putnam and David Lipsky share the next position at 5-under.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 winner, and Ryo Hisatsune both opened with 67s to sit four shots back alongside Min Woo Lee and 2023 champion Collin Morikawa.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele carded a 1–under 70 and is seven strokes off the lead. Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler began their fall campaigns with rounds of 72 and 73 respectively, leaving them tied 52nd and tied 62nd in the 72-man field, which has no 36-hole cut.

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European golfing icon returns to the fairways at New Korea Country Club, balancing mother-first perspective with world-class tournament ambition.

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