As the FedExCup Fall continues, the PGA Tour is in Japan this week for the 2025 Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club. This event was formerly known as the ZOZO Championship, changing sponsors and locations this year. The 1st round begins Thursday.
Below, we search for the best value prop bets for the Baycurrent Classic from BetMGM Sportsbook’s odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Even with it being a fall event, the field in Yokohama is still fairly strong. Xander Schauffele (+1100) is the betting favorite, followed by Alex Noren (+1600) and Collin Morikawa (+1600). Hideki Matsuyama, who won the ZOZO in 2021, is among the favorites as well, coming in with pre-tournament odds of +1800.
Yokohama Country Club is hosting this event for the first time. It’s 7,315 yards long and plays as a par 71, and was redesigned by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2015 after opening in 1960. It’s a traditional layout with tree-lined fairways.
Baycurrent Classic: Best outright winner bets
Baycurrent Classic – Top-5 picks
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 6:42 p.m. ET.
Garrick Higgo (+600)
Higgo was squarely in contention last Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship before Steven Fisk fired an 8-under final round to claim the title, putting Higgo in second. He also finished T-7 at the Procore Championship a few weeks ago to kick off his fall schedule, continuing to trend in the right direction.
Rasmus Hojgaard (+400)
Hojgaard was on Europe’s team for their Ryder Cup win and after claiming that title at Bethpage Black, he finished T-3 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He’s another player in good form who could play well in Japan this week.
Hideki Matsuyama (+333)
Matsuyama was the 2021 champion of this event, albeit at a different venue. But regardless of the course, he’s back home in Japan where he should be very comfortable. In his last start, he finished T-13 at the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour.
Baycurrent Classic – Top-10 picks
Gary Woodland (+350)
Woodland had a T-19 finish to start the fall at the Procore Championship, giving him 3 straight starts of T-23 or better.
Matt Wallace (+350)
Wallace finished tied for second at the Omega European Masters at the end of August after playing well during the summer. It’s a new course for him and everyone else, leveling the playing field.
Baycurrent Classic – Top-20 picks
Ryo Hisatsune (+190)
Hisatsune has made two cuts in a row, finishing T-48 at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week and T-13 at the Procore last month.
Michael Thorbjornsen (+110)
Thorbjornsen is ready for a breakout this fall and he’s gotten off to a good start with finishes of T-13 and T-29 in 2 starts so far.
Michael Kim (+130)
Kim won the French Open last month, breaking through with a monumental win on the DP World Tour. He’s been in great form all year and is always a player to watch, especially at a course that isn’t terribly long.
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Baycurrent Classic – Matchups
Suggested play is golfer in bold.
Hideki Matsuyama (-110) vs. Alex Noren (-110)
Matsuyama and Noren are both playing well at the moment, with Noren recently winning the BMW PGA Championship. But at level odds, take Matsuyama and his short-game prowess, as well as his experience playing in this event over in Japan.
Michael Thorbjornsen (-105) vs. Kevin Yu (-118)
Yu is a long-ball hitter but that may not give him as much of an advantage at Yokohama where there are tree-lined fairways. Thorbjornsen is trending up and shouldn’t be the underdog.
Baycurrent Classic – Top South American
Emiliano Grillo (-120)
Grillo is a well-rounded player who suits just about every course. He missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week but he finished T-4 at the Procore last month.
Baycurrent Classic – Top South African
Garrick Higgo (+125)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+138) and Aldrich Potgieter (+350) are the only other South Africans in the field, but Higgo has a clear advantage in overall talent and recent form.
Baycurrent Classic – First-round leader
Michael Thorbjornsen (+3300)
Thorbjornsen fired an opening-round 67 last week at the Sanderson Farms championship and now ranks 26th in Round 1 scoring average this season.
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