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Jacob Bridgeman finally can check the box in his journal next to winning in his list of goals. The 26-year-old former Clemson University star shot a final-round 1-over 72 at Riviera Country Club on Sunday for a breakthrough victory at the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Bridgeman was one of the most decorated golf careers in Clemson history. After being a three-time Class AAA state champion in South Carolina, he tied for the school record with five tournament victories, his last coming at the 2022 ACC Championship. He was named that season’s ACC Golfer of the Year, one year after being selected ACC Student-Athlete of the Year for men's golf. He earned Korn Ferry Tour status for 2023 by virtue of finishing second in PGA Tour U, and made it to the big leagues a year later. He kept his card as a rookie, finishing No. 113 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, but experienced some growing pains. When as a rookie he missed three cuts in a row in the summer, he admitted his confidence took a hit. “I told a couple people I felt like I've been kicked in the face," he said.
His then-girlfriend, now-wife – they tied the knot on Dec. 19 – reminded him, "work is meant to be balanced with rest." That helped him find a better head space.
Bridgeman is blessed with raw talent and athletic ability – world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said he’d include him on his basketball – but he realized he’d never own his swing until he learned to understand its inner workings better. Instructor Scott Hamiton first watched Bridgeman play nine holes at the 2022 RSM Classic, which he played on a sponsor’s exemption.
“If I can get this guy on the green, he’s going to be a world beater,” Hamilton recalls thinking.
Bridgeman, who plays with a 10-finger grip, earned a reputation as an elite putter but average at best off the tee and with a pedestrian iron game.
“When I started with him, he couldn’t hit a 4-iron 80 feet in the air,” Hamilton said. “I neutralized his pivot, cleaned up his arm swing, fixed his backswing and added loft to the face at the top to get the ball more airborne.”
Last season, he made the Tour Championship in his second year, without a win – a combination that speaks to his rare ability. He had never played at Riviera before this week but took to it quickly.
“Awesome course,” he said as he left the press tent after shooting 66. “Played it yesterday for the first time and I love it!”
Bridgeman only loved it more after Friday and Saturday, shooting a pair of 64s to tie the tournament’s 54-hole scoring mark and open a six-stroke lead.
Bridgeman birdied two of the first three holes on Sunday, his lead swelling to seven, before dropping shots at Nos. 4 and 7. He was steady in the middle of the round, stringing together eight straight pars before a bogey at 16 trimmed his lead to one over Kitayama, who closed in 64. That tied for second with Rory McIlroy, who holed a 34-yard bunker shot at No. 12 for birdie and a long birdie at 18, but otherwise fought a cold putter on the weekend. Adam Scott birdied the last for his second 63 of the week, but ran out of holes. He finished fourth, his best finish since 2024. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was 5 over after 10 holes and made the cut on the number, shot a final-round 65 to finish T-12, which snapped his streak of 18 straight events with a top-10 finish.
But Bridgeman was able to hold on with two closing pars for a one-shot win. He ranked first in Strokes Gained: Approach and SG: Putting for the week. About the only thing he failed to do was re-write the record books in the 100th playing of a tournament that originated simply as the Los Angeles Open. With a 72-hole total of 19-under 265, Bridgeman fell just shy of Lanny Wadkins’s 20-under mark set in 1985, which stands as the longest 72-hole scoring among current events on Tour and survived for another year.
Last month, Bridgeman waited behind the 18th green at Waialae to spray his good friend Chris Gotterup with beer after he won the Sony Open in Hawaii. This time it was Bridgeman’s turn for a beer shower.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jacob Bridgeman wins Genesis Invitational for first PGA Tour title
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Bridgeman was one of the most decorated golf careers in Clemson history. After being a three-time Class AAA state champion in South Carolina, he tied for the school record with five tournament victories, his last coming at the 2022 ACC Championship. He was named that season’s ACC Golfer of the Year, one year after being selected ACC Student-Athlete of the Year for men's golf. He earned Korn Ferry Tour status for 2023 by virtue of finishing second in PGA Tour U, and made it to the big leagues a year later. He kept his card as a rookie, finishing No. 113 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, but experienced some growing pains. When as a rookie he missed three cuts in a row in the summer, he admitted his confidence took a hit. “I told a couple people I felt like I've been kicked in the face," he said.
His then-girlfriend, now-wife – they tied the knot on Dec. 19 – reminded him, "work is meant to be balanced with rest." That helped him find a better head space.
Bridgeman is blessed with raw talent and athletic ability – world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said he’d include him on his basketball – but he realized he’d never own his swing until he learned to understand its inner workings better. Instructor Scott Hamiton first watched Bridgeman play nine holes at the 2022 RSM Classic, which he played on a sponsor’s exemption.
“If I can get this guy on the green, he’s going to be a world beater,” Hamilton recalls thinking.
Bridgeman, who plays with a 10-finger grip, earned a reputation as an elite putter but average at best off the tee and with a pedestrian iron game.
“When I started with him, he couldn’t hit a 4-iron 80 feet in the air,” Hamilton said. “I neutralized his pivot, cleaned up his arm swing, fixed his backswing and added loft to the face at the top to get the ball more airborne.”
Last season, he made the Tour Championship in his second year, without a win – a combination that speaks to his rare ability. He had never played at Riviera before this week but took to it quickly.
“Awesome course,” he said as he left the press tent after shooting 66. “Played it yesterday for the first time and I love it!”
Bridgeman only loved it more after Friday and Saturday, shooting a pair of 64s to tie the tournament’s 54-hole scoring mark and open a six-stroke lead.
Bridgeman birdied two of the first three holes on Sunday, his lead swelling to seven, before dropping shots at Nos. 4 and 7. He was steady in the middle of the round, stringing together eight straight pars before a bogey at 16 trimmed his lead to one over Kitayama, who closed in 64. That tied for second with Rory McIlroy, who holed a 34-yard bunker shot at No. 12 for birdie and a long birdie at 18, but otherwise fought a cold putter on the weekend. Adam Scott birdied the last for his second 63 of the week, but ran out of holes. He finished fourth, his best finish since 2024. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was 5 over after 10 holes and made the cut on the number, shot a final-round 65 to finish T-12, which snapped his streak of 18 straight events with a top-10 finish.
But Bridgeman was able to hold on with two closing pars for a one-shot win. He ranked first in Strokes Gained: Approach and SG: Putting for the week. About the only thing he failed to do was re-write the record books in the 100th playing of a tournament that originated simply as the Los Angeles Open. With a 72-hole total of 19-under 265, Bridgeman fell just shy of Lanny Wadkins’s 20-under mark set in 1985, which stands as the longest 72-hole scoring among current events on Tour and survived for another year.
Last month, Bridgeman waited behind the 18th green at Waialae to spray his good friend Chris Gotterup with beer after he won the Sony Open in Hawaii. This time it was Bridgeman’s turn for a beer shower.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jacob Bridgeman wins Genesis Invitational for first PGA Tour title
Continue reading...
