Jacob Bridgeman claimed his first PGA Tour title Sunday at the Genesis Invitational, holding on for a one-shot victory after what began as a comfortable lead turned into a nail-biter down the stretch at Riviera.
Bridgeman started the day with a six-shot advantage, expanded it to seven with 12 holes remaining, but needed a clutch approach shot on 18 and a nerve-testing 3-foot par putt to secure the win.
“This is way, way better than I’ve ever dreamt it,” Bridgeman said after finishing at 18-under 266, one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama.
The 26-year-old Clemson product became the first player since Adam Scott in 2005 to win at Riviera in his tournament debut. It’s a remarkable achievement at this signature event, earning him $4 million and a handshake from tournament host Tiger Woods at the 18th green.
What made the victory especially impressive was how Bridgeman maintained his composure while the crowd’s energy clearly favored his pursuers. He didn’t make a birdie over the final 15 holes but managed to hold off a late charge from some of golf’s biggest names.
McIlroy, who started the day well back, made a Sunday charge with a hole-out bunker shot for birdie on the 12th and closed with back-to-back birdies for a final-round 67. The roars for McIlroy were deafening compared to the polite applause Bridgeman received, even after hitting quality shots.
The atmosphere at Riviera reached a fever pitch as Max Greyserman made a hole-in-one on the 14th, Tommy Fleetwood holed out for eagle from the fairway on 15, and Kitayama delivered clutch shots on 16 and 17 to climb the leaderboard.
Bridgeman’s lead began to look precarious when he found the bunker on 16 and had to make a 5-foot bogey putt to stay ahead. His birdie attempts on 17 and 18 both came up woefully short.
“I thought it was going to be a lot easier,” Bridgeman admitted. “It was honestly easy until I got to 16 and then it got really hard. I made it as hard as I could have made it.”
Adam Scott, playing on a sponsor exemption, fired a closing 63 with five back-nine birdies to finish fourth, two shots off the pace.
Scottie Scheffler, who barely made the cut on Friday, put together a strong weekend (66-65) but finished tied for 12th. That ended his remarkable streak of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes, dating back to The Players Championship nearly a year ago.
Bridgeman, who was already Masters-bound thanks to reaching last year’s Tour Championship, becomes the first player ranked outside the top 50 (he was No. 52) to win on tour this year. The victory will catapult him inside the world’s top 25.
“I couldn’t even feel my hands on the last couple greens,” Bridgeman said of the pressure he felt coming home. “I just hit the putt hoping it would get somewhere near the hole, and both of them I left a mile short. But I’m glad it’s done now.”
