Michael Brennan wins in Japan and Grant Forrest wins Spanish Open to earn Masters invitation

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Michael Brennan won the Baycurrent Classic on Sunday for his second victory of the season and third on the PGA Tour in the last calendar year, closing with six straight pars for a 3-under 68 and a one-stroke victory over Jacob Bridgeman and Keith Mitchell.

Brennan, who shared the 54-hole lead with Bridgeman and Zach Bauchou, rebounded from a bogey on the 10th hole with birdies on the next two holes before his run of pars at hilly Yokohama Country Club. One of those pars was a long bunker shot to a foot on the 16th.

He finished at 16-under 268. Brennan won the Bank of Utah Championship on Oct. 26, 2025, on a sponsor exemption. The 24-year-old from Wake Forest also won the Wyndham Championship two months ago. This was only his 33rd start on tour.

Bridgeman missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th and closed with a 69. Mitchell played the final 10 holes in 2 over for a 68. Defending champion Xander Schauffele was one shot behind playing the 18th, drove into the trees and made double bogey for a 67 to tie for fourth.

European tour

MADRID (AP) — Grant Forrest got up-and-down for birdie on the reachable par-4 18th for a 2-under 70 and a one-shot victory in the Spanish Open on Sunday, earning the 33-year-old from Scotland his first trip to Augusta National for the Masters.

Forrest was tied with late-charging Victor Perez of France going to the 322-yard closing hole. Both drove into rough just beyond the green, their golf balls separated by the length of their shoes. Perez chipped to 10 feet and missed. Forest’s chip ran out to just over 3 feet for the winning putt.

The victory also gets Forrest into the British Open, which he has played twice previously. The closest he came to the Masters was in 2015 when he was runner-up in the British Amateur.

Forrest, who finished at 14-under 270, capped off a tense finish that featured five players with a chance in the final hour. Eugenio Chacarra and Jacob Skov Olesen fell back with bogeys on the 17th. Chacarra (66) tied for second, moving him to No. 2 in the Race to Dubai.

Korn Ferry Tour

GLEN ALLEN, Va. (AP) — Austin Hitt picked the ideal time for his first victory, closing with a 5-under 66 to win the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and move into the top 20 on the points list to secure a PGA Tour card for 2027.

Hitt was at No. 22 on the points list going into the season finale. The two-shot victory over Blades Brown moved him to No. 6. The 19-year-old Brown, who started the last round with a one-shot lead and was bidding to become the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner, closed with a 69.

Davis Lamb was the only other player to start outside the top 20 and earn a card. He finished in eighth place and moved from No. 23 to No. 20, some 15 points ahead of Yuta Sugiura, who turned down a spot in the PGA Tour event in Japan to try to get a tour card.

Ross Steelman tied for 12th to win the points title over Sandy Scott, earning his spots in The Players Championship and the U.S. Open for next year.

PGA Tour Champions

PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) — Vaughn Taylor closed with a 4-under 68 and made a 10-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole Sunday to defeat Alex Cejka in the Constellation Furyk & Friends, his first PGA Tour Champions title and his first victory anywhere in more than 10 years.

Taylor began the back nine with five straight birdies and was tied for the lead with Michael Wright until three-putting the 17th for bogey. Wright made double bogey from the hazard in the group ahead, while Cejka already had birdied the 18th for a 65 to post at 17-under 271.

Taylor joined him with a two-putt par on the 18th. Taylor and Cejka both missed birdie chances on the 18th in the playoff, and the second time around the 50-year-old Taylor hit 7-iron to 10 feet, made the putt and clinched his fist.

The last of his three PGA Tour titles came in 2016, a one-shot victory over Phil Mickelson in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

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Other tours

Miyu Yamashita set the course record at New Korea Country Club with a 9-under 63 for a three-shot victory in the Aramco Korea Championship on the Ladies European Tour. … Lars van der Vight picked up his second Challenge Tour victory with a 4-under 68 to win the Hainan Open by two shots over Joseba Torres of Spain. The victory puts the Dutchman in line for a European tour card next year. … Justin Warren closed with a 5-under 67 for a two-shot victory over Daniel Gale in the CKB WA PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia. … Austin Bautista of Australia won his second Sunshine Tour title of the year with a 4-under 67 for a five-shot victory in The Fortress Invitational. … Akie Iwai closed with a 5-under 67 for a two-shot victory over defending champion Yui Kawamoto in the Stanley Ladies Honda on the Japan LPGA. … Hyunjo Yoo made four birdies and held off a pair of late charges to win the HJ Shipbuilding & Construction-Dongbu Construction Championship. The Korea LPGA event used the modified Stableford scoring system.

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