Los Angeles — Jacob Bridgman He has a great feel for his game and swing, and it didn’t take long for everyone at Riviera to take notice Saturday at the Genesis Invitational.
They had no choice. Bridgeman played in the final group and posted the lowest score of 7-under 64. At the start, he was tied for the lead. He was down by six points. Rory McIlroy when he finished.
“It was fun and easy. It was like the best in the history of golf,” Bridgman said. “My swing felt good and I had fun outside. Everyone was cheering me on, so yeah, it was a good day.”
Most of the gallery was teaming up with McIlroy. Xander SchauffeleIn total, he won seven majors. They missed watching Bridgeman, in the final group behind them, hit a 7-wood to 30 inches for birdie on the 262-yard fourth hole.
It was like that all day — Bridgeman had seven birdies and hit a 7-wood from 259 yards for an eagle on the par-5 11th that just barely made it over the ridge. He couldn’t see where the ball landed and the cheering was so loud that he thought it might have gone in. The ball landed 8 inches from the cup.
He’s currently gunning for his first PGA Tour title, and given the excellent weather, he has a chance to break the record for longest 72-hole hole on the PGA Tour.
Bridgeman was 19-under 194. Lanny Wadkins Won the championship in 1985 with a 20-under 264.
McIlroy was cautious on the fast, bumpy greens late in the afternoon, finishing his round of 69 with seven straight pars.
“I tried my best,” McIlroy said. “I wish I had been a little closer to the lead. I think I’ll be in the last group. Hopefully I can put a little pressure on Jacob tomorrow. I gave myself a chance and that’s all I can ask for.”
McIlroy is one of nine players on the PGA Tour to win with a six-stroke lead after 54 holes. he rallied to win Scotty Scheffler Play in the 2023 Tour Championship and win the FedEx Cup.
“I went back to being 6 years old,” McIlroy said. “We need to get a fast start and we will try to put pressure on, but I hope we can do that.”
Bridgeman, a 26-year-old from Clemson, wasn’t playing like he wasn’t winning on the PGA Tour. He started with two birdies in three holes and hit his nearest shot on the par-3 fourth, but the best was yet to come.
Bridgeman went birdie, eagle, birdie, and had a two-stroke lead going into the back nine, but he hit his 7-wood into tap-in range, and then on the difficult 12th, he chipped a 6-iron and sunk a 12-foot birdie putt into the right pin, extending his lead to six strokes.
From there, it became a question of who would join him in the final mix.
McIlroy and Bridgman played together for the first time on the final day of the BMW Championship, and Bridgman did well enough to secure a spot in the Tour Championship. They were also paired in the second round at East Lake.
This time the stakes are even higher.
“I know he’s going to play well tomorrow, and I know I can’t back down at all,” Bridgeman said. “But I think I feel comfortable. Last year, playing with him in the playoffs, I was a little nervous about how it was going to go. And I had a great day in Baltimore. I had to play well to get to the Tour Championship, and I was paired with Rory, so that was kind of tough.”
“If it’s your first time, you might be a little nervous,” he said. “But I don’t have to worry about that now.”
Bridgeman missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole, but a quick start gave him no reason to feel nervous about the weekend. The only time he actually missed a drive was when he hit it into the middle of the barranca that separates the fairway on the par-4 eighth.
Other than that, it was a clinic.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to do this on this stage on the Riviera,” Bridgman said.
I didn’t have anyone else I was particularly close to. aaron rye (66) was eight places behind. Xander Schauffele missed four short putts on the green (three of which were birdies) and had a chance to come close on a green so tough that he had to pay close attention to each short putt.
Marco Penge England’s Swift, who shared the 36-hole lead with Bridgeman, shot a 74 to fall 10 behind.
Scotty Scheffler improved his score and finished around the time he teed off in the final group. He shot a 66, his lowest round at Riviera, and came within 14 strokes. Scheffler’s only hope was to extend his streak of top 10s on the PGA Tour to 19.