Everything has changed for Michael Brennan in 12 months.
A year ago, the Wake Forest graduate was playing on PGA Tour Americas and was set to head to the Korn Ferry Tour. Then, on a sponsor’s invite, he won the Bank of Utah Championship last October and never looked back. Brennan made the cut in all four majors in 2026, finished 46th in the FedEx Cup standings and won his second career title at the Wyndham Championship.
His rise continued this week in Japan, where he outlasted Jacob Bridgeman and Keith Mitchell on Sunday to win the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club. It was Brennan’s third PGA Tour win in less than a year and a sign that the 24-year-old is one of the PGA Tour’s bright stars.
“I think [winning does breed winning],” Brennan, who finished at 16 under, said after his win. “I just think 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 great coming down, and that was really fun. We played a lot of golf in college together. I think I was happy with the way that I handled myself this morning. I felt like I woke up and didn’t put too much pressure on the round. I was really kind of comfortable knowing I was tied for the lead. I think I only am able to do that and be like that because of the past experiences that I have had, not only the win at Wyndham but also the disappointing finishes in Minneapolis and Detroit. I just felt like I tried to learn a bit from all this.”
Brennan started the final round tied for the lead but watched as Mitchell made three birdies and an eagle in his first eight holes to claim the lead. But Mitchell’s momentum stalled out with a bogey at No. 9, and he played his final 10 holes in 2 over. Brennan got out of the blocks slowly on Sunday. He played his opening nine in 2 under before a sloppy bogey at No. 10 dropped him a shot off the lead. But Brennan rebounded with birdies at 11 and 12 to take the lead, then made six straight pars down the stretch to hold off Bridgeman and Mitchell for a one-shot win.
In late July, Brennan entered Sunday with chances to win the Rocket Classic and 3M Open. He faded on both of those Sundays at Michael Thorbjornsen and Jackson Koivun took home those respective trophies. Brennan said he learned from those Sunday missteps. His nerves got the better of him; he was too amped up and it led to poor shots and disappointing results.
On Sunday in Japan, Brennan remembered what went wrong in Detroit and Minnesota and worked to treat the final round of the Baycurrent Classic like any other, even as he fought to hold off Bridgeman, who missed a 5-foot birdie putt on 17 to tie.
“I was nervous, but maybe less so than some of the other tournaments that I had been closing recently,” Brennan said. “And I think that’s progress. I know I still have a ways to go before I feel how I think I would like to feel coming down the stretch. Really happy with the execution on 18. Even 17, hit a really good tee ball, really good tee ball on 18. Yeah, happy with how I was able to handle it today.”
After his win, Brennan was described as a rising star in his greenside interview. He said it was nice to hear and credited his team around him for his incredible rise.
“I feel very comfortable and confident that I know what I’m doing is the right thing. And I feel like I’m getting better, and it’s just really all thanks to them,” Brennan said.
Then, an hour later, Brennan sat at the dais and was asked what his big goals are now that he’s a three-time winner. Unsurprisingly, the first thing that came to mind was a trip to Ireland next September, where Team USA 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 PGA Tour Americas unknown to a rising pro golf star with legitimate Ryder Cup dreams. As his meteoric rise continues, there’s no question Brennan has put himself on captain Jim Furyk’s radar.
