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Fresh off first PGA Tour win, Austin Smotherman WDs from Baycurrent Classic

Austin Smotherman, who claimed his first PGA Tour victory in his 100th start at the Black Desert Resort, has withdrawn from this week’s Baycurrent Classic in Japan. The limited-field event, featuring just 72 players and a lineup including defending champion Xander Schauffele, saw Smotherman opt out after his historic win, joining a growing trend of recent champions skipping their next tournament.

His withdrawal created a cascade of replacements: AJ Ewart initially took his spot before pulling out himself, allowing Lee Hodges to secure a tee time at Yokohama Country Club. Earlier in the week, Yuta Sugiura also withdrew, with Tomohiro Ishizaka stepping in, while Tom Kim—who had just won gold at the Asian Games—bowed out of military service obligations in South Korea, leaving his place open as well.

Smotherman’s decision follows a pattern among recent PGA Tour winners, including Jacob Bridgeman (who skipped the Cognizant Classic after his Genesis Invitational triumph), Aaron Rai (who withdrew from the Byron Nelson CJ Cup post-PGA Championship win), J.T. Poston (who pulled out of the RBC Canadian Open after his Memorial Tournament victory), and Ryan Fox (who left the 3M Open hours after winning The Open).

Michael Thorbjornsen, who won his first PGA Tour event at the Rocket Classic, also withdrew from the Wyndham Championship shortly afterward. The Baycurrent Classic remains the sole PGA Tour stop in Japan this season.

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