Summary
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Max Greyserman, who was one stroke away from victory in Japan last year, is back in the hunt for his first PGA Tour victory. In the second round of the Baycurrent Classic, Greyserman shot a blistering 63, accumulating a two-round total of 12-under 130 to give him a four-shot lead.
The American is ahead of Alex Smalley (65), Xander Schauffele (63) and Alex Noren (65). This tournament is the only PGA Tour tournament held in Japan, and this year it moved to Yokohama after having been held east of Tokyo. The competition was inaugurated in 2019, being won by Tiger Woods.
“I’ve been doing things right this week from the start, so I just need to keep going,” Greyserman said. Asked if he’s gained any fans after his close performance last year, where he lost on the 72nd hole to Nico Echavarria, he replied: “I imagine some of these people were here last year, and I’m sure they remember me.”
Key details
For his part, Schauffele, who shot a par 71 on Thursday, struggled with the strong winds that plagued the course. “Yesterday I felt like I was just trying to survive the round, and at times it seemed like there was almost no wind today,” he said. “The greens were very nice, and the wind had dropped. If you hit good shots, you were rewarded, so I was able to take advantage of that.”
Four other players are within five strokes of the leader, including defending champion Echavarria. Japanese player Kazuki Higa got off to a blistering start with a 28-under-par on his first nine holes, making eight birdies, but he couldn't maintain his pace on the back nine and finished with a 64, leaving him six strokes off the lead. Collin Morikawa, who was part of the U.S. team that lost the Ryder Cup with Schauffele, signed a 3-under 68 and is nine strokes back at the Yokohama Country Club.
