After winning the Baycurrent Classic, Michael Brennan set his sights on the 2027 Ryder Cup

Michael Brennan’s career has changed dramatically in 12 months. A year ago, the Wake Forest graduate was playing on PGA Tour Americas and preparing to move to the Korn Ferry Tour. But after winning last October’s Bank of Utah Championship on a sponsor exemption, Brennan never looked back.

In 2026, he made the cut in all four majors, finished 46th in the FedEx Cup standings and won the second title of his career at the Wyndham Championship.

His rise continued in Japan this week. On Sunday, Brennan held off Jacob Bridgeman and Keith Mitchell to win the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club. It was the 24-year-old’s third PGA Tour victory in less than a year and further evidence that he is one of the Tour’s brightest young stars.

“I think winning does breed winning. You can get more comfortable in those situations. I was very nervous today, especially coming down the stretch. Jacob and I had a great battle, he played really well coming down, and that was really fun. We played a lot of golf together in college.

“I was happy with the way I handled myself this morning. I felt like I woke up and didn’t put too much pressure on the round. I was comfortable knowing I was tied for the lead. I think I’m only able to do that because of my past experiences, not only the win at Wyndham but also the disappointing finishes in Minneapolis and Detroit. I tried to learn a bit from all of it,” Brennan said after finishing at 16 under.

Brennan and Mitchell began the final round tied for the lead, but Mitchell made three birdies and an eagle in his first eight holes to move ahead. His momentum stalled with a bogey at No. 9, and he played his final 10 holes in 2 over.

Brennan started Sunday slowly. He played his opening nine in 2 under, but a sloppy bogey at No. 10 dropped him one shot behind. He responded with birdies at Nos. 11 and 12 to take the lead, then made six straight pars down the stretch to hold off Bridgeman and Mitchell by one shot.

In late July, Brennan had chances to win the Rocket Classic and 3M Open. He faded on both Sundays as Michael Thorbjornsen and Jackson Koivun won those respective tournaments. Brennan said nerves had gotten the better of him then: he was too amped up, hit poor shots and produced disappointing results.

In Japan, Brennan remembered what went wrong in Detroit and Minnesota and tried to treat the final round of the Baycurrent Classic like any other, even as he battled Bridgeman. Bridgeman missed a five-foot birdie putt on No. 17 that would have tied the score.

“I was nervous, but maybe less so than some of the other tournaments that I had been closing recently. I think that’s progress. I know I still have a ways to go before I feel how I would like to feel coming down the stretch. But I’m really happy with the execution on 18. I hit a really good tee shot on 17 and another really good one on 18. I’m happy with how I handled it today,” Brennan said.

After the win, Brennan was described as a rising star in his greenside interview. He said it was nice to hear and credited the team around him for his rapid rise.

“I feel very comfortable and confident that I know what I’m doing is the right thing. I feel like I’m getting better, and it’s really all thanks to them,” Brennan said.

An hour later, at the press conference, Brennan was asked about his biggest goals now that he is a three-time PGA Tour winner. Unsurprisingly, his first thought was a trip to Ireland next September, where the United States will try to win the Ryder Cup on European soil for the first time since 1993.

“It would be really cool to play in the Ryder Cup next year in Ireland. That’s definitely a goal of probably most Americans who play on the PGA Tour. I think that would be an amazing experience,” Brennan said.

In 12 months, Michael Brennan has gone from a little-known PGA Tour Americas player to a rising professional golf star with legitimate Ryder Cup dreams. As his meteoric rise continues, he has clearly put himself on U.S. captain Jim Furyk’s radar.