The PGA Tour has touched down in Japan this week for the Baycurrent Classic, giving local players a chance to measure themselves against some of the game’s top names.
Hideki Matsuyama’s name stands out among them, especially after becoming the first Japanese man to win a major when he took the Masters title in 2021.
And while there are still three rounds to play at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, another Japanese golfer matched an impressive record that was set earlier this year at The Sentry.
Kazuki Higa matches PGA Tour’s nine-hole record for 2025
Kazuki Higa matched the lowest nine-hole score on the PGA Tour in 2025, shooting a 28 on the front nine at the Baycurrent Classic. He fired off eight birdies in his second round, parring only the par-3 seventh hole.
Higa became one of four players to hit that mark this season. He followed up a one-over opening round with a seven-under 64 to climb up the leaderboard.
Higa has 15 professional wins, including eight on the Japan Golf Tour, but he has yet to find victory on the PGA Tour since turning pro eight years ago.
His best showing at a major came with a 76th-place finish at the 2023 PGA Championship, and he missed the cut in his three other major starts.
Despite limited success outside Japan, Higa was named Most Valuable Player of the Japan Golf Tour in 2022 after leading that season’s money list. He hasn’t made much impact yet in America but has shown he can compete alongside some of the top talent on tour when he finds his form.
PGA Tour finish may be best for Kazuki Higa
Kazuki Higa is looking to surpass his best-ever finish on the PGA Tour, which came in 2023 at the then-named ZOZO Championship, finishing T-36 on home soil.
Higa shot an opening-round 67 before finishing four under for the tournament. It was a big improvement from the previous year when he finished seven over for T-57.
He’s played 10 events on the PGA Tour since 2019 and made the cut only four times. But his last season on tour demonstrated marked improvement, as he finished under par for the first time, twice.
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If Higa can keep building on his performance at Baycurrent, it could mark the third time he has gone under par.
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